The dying blue art of Pakistan
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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.
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On DawnNews
May 01, 2014 12:00am
Efforts should be made to preserve the skills because once it is lost it will be difficult to reinvent it.
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May 01, 2014 04:33pm
This may have been great in Mughal times but the world has moved on. Our time is marked with different tastes and ideas. Lets preserve what our previous generations have built and let the human imagination discover new arts and styles fit for our times.
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May 02, 2014 08:38am
Can this art not be taught in schools like NCA, to better preserve it?
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May 03, 2014 01:31pm
Looks very similar to the "blue pottery" in Jaipur, India. The craft is flourishing there due to demand for the products from India as well as outside. There are many NGOs as well as local government working to make sure that the artisans get a fair price.
The tiles look beautiful. I am sure there will be a large market worldwide. But the skills will flourish only if the craftspeople can make a decent living out of it.
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