The Haveli, a recently launched private museum of textiles in Karachi and the first of its kind and calibre in Pakistan, is a hub of beauty in the form of indigenous embroideries.

The opening exhibition, ‘A Coat of Many Colours, Textiles from Sindh’, curated by Nasreen Askari, is no less than an ode to the textile legacy of the remotest areas of Pakistan. Collections such as these can only come from one who not only understands but reveres the refined aesthetics of the stunning embroideries, as emblems of a unique culture.

The museum is the legacy of Nasreen, an expert on indigenous textiles, who has authored Colours of the Indus (1997) and Uncut Cloth (1999). She is also the Founding Director of the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi since its inception in 1999 and has curated extensive exhibitions over the years. She received the President of Pakistan’s Pride of Performance Award in 2008 for her contributions to art and culture.

According to Nasreen, “I discovered that the pillage of the modern world had not yet corrupted the men and women whom I met and who practised traditional stitches. I marvelled at their excellence in producing works of art with precision and without any formal instruction in space, colour or scale. They embroidered by instinct, heralding a tribute to their mothers who had taught them this art as an essential part of their upbringing. Motifs to them were sacred, innovation was not.”

A newly launched private textile museum in Karachi sheds light on the rich history and tradition of Sindhi textiles in its inaugural exhibition

A rich and diverse collection acquired over the last 50 years is now housed in the purpose-built museum, conceived by Nasreen and her husband Hasan Askari. A pathway leading to the spacious and uncluttered architecture of the museum, with plenty of natural light, overlooks a tranquil garden — surely an oasis within the noisy metropolis of Karachi.

The gallery space within is divided into three large rooms, where textiles are displayed thematically by motif and stitch and utilitarian use, accompanied by information panels that delve into the history and the cultural significance of the objects on display, specifying each stitch to a region in Sindh. The museum houses “over 1,000 magnificent objects spanning Pakistan’s vast cultural topography. Parts of the collection have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Museum of Scotland, and the Paisley Museum, Scotland.”

Documentation, of course, is at the core of this venture. An accompanying publication titled The Flowering Desert, Textiles from Sindh, with extensively researched essays and lavish layouts in a crisp design are an indulgence for the palate. It reflects Nasreen’s penchant for beauty, as she narrates about having tried to curb an insatiable urge to possess the best embroidery, and that her passion remains unquenched because there is, as she says, always better embroidery!

The Askaris’ museum is no less an ode to the exquisite, often peripheral craft of embroideries and embellishment of cloth, anywhere from a boy’s ceremonial tunic or kurta (late 19th century Shikarpur) embroidered in fine silk thread, to dowry bags or bhujki (early 20th century, Daro Dandhal, Virawah) in silk floss on cotton, with mirrors.

The tunic belongs to the Lohana group, embroidered in a kanbiro stitch. The neck opening on the left indicates that it belonged to a Hindu or, possibly, Jain family. These connections to the role of the Hindu community are woven into Nasreen’s research, providing a much overlooked narrative on the pivotal contribution of the Hindu community in Sindh.

Nasreen notes the historic significance of Sindh as an important access point for trading routes, as Central Asia was accessed through Quetta and Kandahar through Shikarpur as the pivot. A route from Persia went through Hyderabad and Umerkot to Rajasthan, and the less known opium trade between India and China, which was routed from Malwa, through Karachi to China.

She argues that much of what Sindh has had to offer in terms of textiles has been “subsumed under an amorphous ‘Western India’ label, because Rajasthan and Gujarat provide an easier access, an established mercantile tradition and an effort to promote their cultural distinctiveness. Design, skills and technique travel, but origins do not.”

Embroideries on view include the coverlet [posh] from the Maheri group, Babarlo, Sukkur, late 19th century. This type of embroidery is found in Maheri roomals [handkerchiefs]. Nasreen explains the distribution of a large central square with smaller squares arranged symmetrically around it, each of which has eight-sided stars and star eyelets within.

A skirt (parho or ghagro) in indigo dyed cotton with silk floss from the Soomrah group, commissioned from Meghwar women in Diplo, dates to the mid-19th century. It is embroidered in ‘akhphuli’ motifs. Akhphuli is a commonly found flowering plant of the desert (calotropis procera), stylised versions of which are generally embroidered in pink or red floss silk, using a ridged or button-hole stitch for the petals, often described as a Sindhi stitch.

The ‘pakkoh soof’ technique, she explains, is often used for pictorial forms for wedding scarves [bokano] or a coverlet or posh, often depicting peacocks, sand dunes etc. The design is first transferred on the cloth with a simple stitch and then filled with satin stitches. On our walkthrough, Nasreen explains that dowry cloths or posh in the ‘kacho’ style are originally derived from the Sodha Rajputs. Threads are counted and drawn out from the ground fabric, and stitched from the reverse side to form motifs of camels, peacocks, figures, scorpions and plants.

In a posh coverlet from early 20th century Bhlawa, Nagarparkar, stylised peacocks appear at the four corners of a central square or window, like a talismanic symbol ensuring happiness and fertility. Peacocks are revered as a noble bird and symbolise Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, poetry and art. Each motif that is stitched has a purpose, and is the source of identity and pride.

This collection of more than 1,000 embroidered pieces is a testament to the enduring beauty of the stitch.

The Haveli’s inaugural show, ‘A Coat of Many Colours, Textiles from Sindh’, is on display from December 17, 2024 to November 3, 2025. The Haveli is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm and remains closed on Mondays. Details can be found at nasreenkihaveli.com/ and instagram.com thehaveli.karachi

The writer is an independent art critic, researcher and curator based in Karachi

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 23rd, 2025