Red is favored throughout Pakistan thus it's a dominant wall-hanging color.
Despite wars and social unrest, traditional Pakistani wall art remains both an important industry and a precious heritage. Crafters continue to use old cutting, dying and sewing methods to produce intricately-styled textile art that is prized throughout the world. Whether you happen to own a piece of indigenous Pakistani cloth, you're considering buying one or you just want to expand your understanding of this nation's artistic heritage, learning a little about crafts produced in different regions of the country may also help you understand the people behind the work.
Thar Desert Region
Women living in the Thar Desert Region of Pakistan in the Sindh province, bordering on India, are known for their patchwork ralli quilts. The ultimate in recycled art, these quilts are made of old garments and household linens that are ripped, cut, dyed and sewn into beautiful rugs and wall hangings. Some feature geometric, woven strips of cloth. Others feature animal silhouettes and cutouts of sacred symbols. You'll find pure patchwork creations within the work of Thar women while other designs are combinations of appliqu , embroidery and stitching. Red is a popular color, thus myriad shades of red dominate the region's cloth art patterns.
Kashmir Region
Namda and gabba (rugs and wall hangings) are fairly well known around the world because examples of these gorgeous works of Pakistani art have been the subject of traveling exhibits. An award-winning documentary was made by Pakistani film makers about the women who work on these projects. The oldest styles of Kashmir-specific wall hangings are passed down from one generation to the next and many include images and symbols representing the region's unique myths and folklore. Every gabba and namba tells a tale, so if you have an opportunity to study a Kashmiri wall hanging, you probably won't have a problem understanding the story behind the art.
Balochistan Region
From the sophistication of Islamabad to the outlying regions of Pakistan, the nation is a study in contrast. This region's artistic history is still told by the cloth artisans of Balochistan, a province that exhibits a reverence for the tribe's nomadic ancestors by producing tapestries trimmed with leather, embroidery, and on occasion, date leaf trim. The subjects of wall hangings originating in this area traditionally depict the migratory patterns of people of the Balochistan region. Look for symbols of animals and people "walking" along borders and clustered in the centers of these tapestries. Dyes made of vegetation add splashes of color to these complex designs.
Pashtun Region
As well known for rebellions and uprisings as its art, the northern Pashtun heritage of cloth art remains the pride and joy of creators. Not only do hand-crafted Pashtun wall hangings include intricate, embroidered seams connecting patterned cloth sections but you'll also notice glass beads and, possibly, tiny mirror insets that add exquisite detailing to cloth crafts produced in the region. A large number of wall hangings originating in this area are made of silk embroidery on cotton textile. If you find an original Pashtun wall hanging dated back to the 19th century, snap it up. These rare, valuable treasures are hard to come by and extremely valuable.
