South Asia

Laky ka kam (lacquer work)

Laky ka kam or Lacquer work is practiced in several parts of Pakistan, notably in Sillianwali and Chiniot in the Punjab, Dera Ismail Khan...

Kashikari (ceramic tiles)

Kashi refers to a specific style of decorative patterns on glazed vessels and tiles produced in the Muslim world. First influenced by Egyptian and...

Khairi (leather shoe making)

Once leather has been bought in a natural dark or light brown colour from Sargodha, the process of colouring and tanning begins. J Wilson,...

Guggu Ghorey

Guggu Ghorey, or “children’s horses”, can be traced back to the pagan terracotta horses of the Indus Valley and to the votive clay offerings...

Chitarkari (stone engraving)

In the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, the Gangar mountain range is composed largely of schist stone—metamorphic rock with large, flat, sheet- like...

Mitti ka kaam (unglazed terracotta)

Mitti ka kaam literally translates as “clay work” and its practitioners are commonly referred to as kumhar in Pakistan. It basically constitutes production of...

Tharu sikki / thatch grass / mujella

Tharu sikki are products made from moonj, a fibre plant of the Sachharaum family. Moonj is also known as “thatched grass” or “golden grass”...

Straw/Jute shoes (shu ya lakkan)

As the name suggests, these shoes are made of rice straw and jute string. They are mostly used for in-house purposes as room shoes...

Khukuri

Khukuri, which has become synonymous with the brave Gurkhas, is a metal weapon with slightly inward curve. It is sold with sheath, which is...

Beaten dishes (kans dakeyan)

Kans Dakeyan, or beaten dishes, are products like dinner sets or singing bowls made by hammering an alloy of copper (80%) and tin (20%)....

Ceramics

Commercial production of stoneware and earthenware ceramics began in 1984, in Bhaktapur, a city known for clay products.  This was after German INGO GTZ,...

Bhangra Textile (Hemp)

Bhangra products are made from fibre prepared from hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). There are two types of hemp plant—male and female. Fibre extracted from...