The Sethis were a prominent
Punjabi Muslim merchant family with origins in the city of
Bhera, in
Punjab. From Bhera Sethis primarily exported
indigo to central Asia. In 1660, Mian Hafiz Ghulam Ahmad, the patriarch of the family, moved to
Chamkani, a town near Peshawar, to expand the family trade. His son Hafiz Fazal Ahmad moved to Peshawar in 1730. In the following decades the Sethis were firmly established in the city. Over time Sethis became very prosperous, trading not only in indigo but also in wood, fur,
cotton cloth,
copperware,
salt,
spices,
porcelain,
carpets and gold thread. They relied on local as well as international trade – their connections went as far as
Russia and Central Asia. The Sethi family was involved in considerable welfare work in Peshawar and had contributed to the construction of wells for the poor, along with the
Lady Reading Hospital and the
Islamia College Mosque. The Sethi family shifted to Mohalla Sethian in the early 19th century, and in the following decades built a series of havelis. The downfall of the Sethis began during the
Russian Revolution in 1917, when their businesses experienced setbacks from which they never recovered, forcing them to leave Central Asia and return to Peshawar. == Location ==