The dying blue art of Pakistan

Published April 30, 2014
50 year old kashi mosaic tile.
50 year old kashi mosaic tile.
Father teaching his son how to sand a tile.
Father teaching his son how to sand a tile.
Outlining design on the tiles.
Outlining design on the tiles.
Mazars and-mosques covered with hand crafted kashi tiles.
Mazars and-mosques covered with hand crafted kashi tiles.
Hand crafted kashi tile design.
Hand crafted kashi tile design.
Tracing to lay out design pattern.
Tracing to lay out design pattern.
Kashigari tiles on a mosque pillar.
Kashigari tiles on a mosque pillar.
Mir Muhammad cutting tiles into square shapes.
Mir Muhammad cutting tiles into square shapes.

Originating from Iran, Kashi is one of the oldest handicrafts of Sindh. Kashi is a term applied to enamelled work on the Terracotta base. Kashi is a Persian word which means designating to the tiles or trimmed to the form of pieces of faience serving to cover entire, or partial fabric of a building principally decorative.

A special technique is applied to prepare the blue colour from a mixture of cobalt oxide and copper oxide.

In Pakistan, the main centres of Kashi Kari are in Multan, Lahore, Thatta, Hala, Nasarpur, Mahra Sharif and Dera Ismail Khan. However, due to lack of resources, the art is fading in the region.

Here are some pictures of the dying art taken in Nasarpur.

Opinion

Editorial

Stocktaking
29 Dec, 2024

Stocktaking

IN a wide-ranging presser on Friday, the DG ISPR touched on a variety of subjects, including the reasons behind the...
Ceasefire mirage
29 Dec, 2024

Ceasefire mirage

THERE was renewed hope that Israel would cease its slaughter for the time being in Gaza as Tel Aviv’s negotiators...
Olympic chapter polls
29 Dec, 2024

Olympic chapter polls

A TRUCE has been reached, ensuring Monday’s elections of the Pakistan Olympic Association will be acceptable to ...
Mixed signals
Updated 28 Dec, 2024

Mixed signals

If Imran wants talks to yield results, he should authorise PTI’s committee to fully engage with the other side without setting deadlines.
Opaque trials
Updated 28 Dec, 2024

Opaque trials

Secretive trials, shielded from scrutiny, fail to provide the answers that citizens deserve.
A friendly neighbour
28 Dec, 2024

A friendly neighbour

FORMER Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh who passed away on Thursday at 92 was a renowned economist who pulled ...