Shopping for handmade in Pakistan: where each craft comes from

Shopping in Pakistan's bazaars is a pleasure, but the most rewarding handmade things are still tied to place. Ajrak comes from particular towns in Sindh, blue pottery from Multan, carved furniture from Chiniot. Buying close to the source usually means better work, a fairer price for the maker, and a story to go with it. Here's where to look.

Sindh

Matiari district: Hala and Bhit Shah

This is ajrak country. The cloth is printed across Sindh, with production concentrated in Matiari, Hala, Bhit Shah, Moro, Sukkur, Kandiaro and Hyderabad. [1] Our ajrak story explains how it's made and what to check before you buy.

Hala is a craft town in its own right. [2]

• Glazed pottery, painted by hand in cobalt blue, turquoise, purple, mustard, white and brown. Hala's kilns have a long history: the tiles on the domes of the Shah Jahan Mosque at Thatta were fired there. [2] [3]
• Jandi, lacquered woodwork made into lamps, boxes, vases and furniture. Keep it away from alcohol, acid and direct sunlight. [2]
• Khadi, cloth hand-woven from cotton, silk and wool. [2]
• Rilli, the patchwork quilts found in Sindhi homes and often given as gifts. [2]

Punjab

Multan

Multan is the home of kashigari, the cobalt-blue pottery that also covers the city's shrines. [4] It's also the best-known home of the hand-stitched khussa, made in the streets of the old city. [5] Look out, too, for naqashi: painted camel-skin lampshades and vases, a rare craft that casts a warm, patterned light. [6]

For a single place to see them, visit Nigar Khana, a craft gallery opposite the shrine of Shah Rukn-e-Alam. [6]

Chiniot

Chiniot is famous for carved wooden furniture, made mainly from shisham and rosewood and sold around the world. Carvers, many from families of the Tarkhan community who have done this work for generations, often work in workshops at home, shaping the wood with knife-like tools called chappu. Their reputation spread with the Umar Hayat Mahal, a carved wooden palace in the middle of the city. [7]

Lahore

Lahore is for looking as much as buying. The Wazir Khan Mosque has the most extensive glazed-tile facing of any Mughal building, [3] and the Lahore Museum's Islamic Gallery has old hand-made khussas on display. [5]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Peshawar

The Peshawari chappal is the Pashtun leather sandal, and the best are still made to order. Chacha Noor-ud-Din, who opened his shop in Peshawar's old Namak Mandi market in 1976, became famous for custom-made double-soled pairs. [8] Like other footwear from the colder north, the chappal uses thicker leather than the khussa. [5]

The craft atlas also covers Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, and for a day out, try our guides to Multan and Hala and Bhit Shah. If you know a maker we should visit, tell us about them.

Questions people ask

What handmade things is Pakistan known for?

Ajrak cloth and glazed pottery from Sindh, Multani blue pottery and khussa shoes from Multan, carved furniture from Chiniot and the Peshawari chappal from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are some of the best known.

Where can I buy authentic ajrak?

Ajrak is made across Sindh, including Matiari, Hala, Bhit Shah, Hyderabad and Moro. Buying from a printer in one of these towns, or from a seller who names the workshop, is the surest way to get the real thing.

How can I tell if a craft is really handmade?

Small irregularities are a good sign: brush strokes that vary on a painted pot, slight differences between a pair of hand-stitched shoes, or a block print where the repeat isn't machine-perfect. Ask the seller who made it and where.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Ajrak
2. Around Pakistan: Pottery and other handicrafts of Hala
3. Wikipedia: Kashi Kari
4. S.A.J. Shirazi: True blue of Multan (2007)
5. Gulf News: Tale of the khussa (2007)
6. Nigar Khana, Multan: the House of Art
7. Dawn: Chiniot furniture industry a potential forex earner (2002)
8. Arab News Pakistan: Famous Pakistani cobbler crafts shoes for crown prince (2019)