Culture
Crafts of Pakistan
Craft in Pakistan is regional: truck art in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Peshawar; blue kashi pottery in Multan and Hala; ajrak block printing in Sindh; Peshawari chappal footwear in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; woodwork in Swat and Chiniot; and susi and khes weaving across Punjab. Most are family trades passed down through workshops rather than schools.
Quick facts
- Ajrak process
- Up to 16 dyeing stages
- Truck art centres
- Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar
- Blue pottery
- Multan and Hala
- Woodwork
- Swat and Chiniot
Background
Ajrak uses a resist-dyeing process of up to sixteen stages, producing deep crimson and indigo cloth worn across Sindh. Truck art developed in the mid-20th century into a full decorative industry, with panel painters, chamak patti foil workers and metalsmiths. Multan's blue tilework, derived from Persian kashi technique, is used on shrines as well as on domestic pottery.
Key entries
- Ajrak
Sindhi block-printed cloth in crimson and indigo.
- Truck art
Painted panels, chamak patti and hammered metalwork.
- Kashi tilework
Multani blue glaze on pottery and shrines.
- Peshawari chappal
Leather sandal made in Peshawar workshops.
- Chiniot furniture
Carved sheesham woodwork from Punjab.
Frequently asked questions
- What is ajrak?
- A block-printed cloth from Sindh, dyed in crimson and indigo through a resist process of up to sixteen stages.
- Where did truck art begin?
- It developed in Pakistan in the mid-20th century, with Karachi, Rawalpindi and Peshawar as the main centres.