Hand-spun tradition

The traditional hand-spun and hand-woven textiles are probably the oldest, as is apparent from the finds of fragment of finely woven cotton fabric at Moenjodaro (mounds of dead), from the Indus valley civilisation five thousand years ago.

This cotton fragment, found at Moenjodaro, has sixty ends and twenty picks per inch and is made of 34 counts thread. It was because of this degree of refinement that cotton cloth was described by terms derived from Sindh, Sindhu and Sindhian.

According to Herodotus, Sindhian cloth was widely used in Egypt and the Mediterranean region around 500 BC. Extremely fine muslins from Sindh were used to wrap mummies in Egypt and were worn by Roman Emperors from Agustus to Hadrian.

A ninth century Arab traveller, Suleman Tajir, observed "the cotton cloth of this country is so fine that it can easily pass through a finger ring. Nowhere in all the world is finer cloth made than in this country."

During Muslim rule, the traditional techniques continued with new technological developments and new motifs. During the two-and-a-half centuries of relative peace and stability, the Moghals established a highly industrialised empire. Cotton textiles were the main products of trade and export.

The Moghals not only patronised the imperial workshops, finest silk and woollen carpets for their own use but also encouraged the development of a country-wide carpet industry.

Among the varieties of cloth mentioned by the British traders are 'bafta', chint, malmal, sussi, gharbi, tusser, ajrak, lungi, khes and chunni.

Despite Sindh, other regions of Pakistan are also famous for their textile crafts. Woollen fabrics of Frontier and Punjab were exported to Syria and Egypt in the early decade of the Christian era.

Lahore grew into a leading centre of textile production during Moghal era. Abul Fazal has mentioned that because of Akbar's interest a workshop of weavers was established in Lahore to promote the production of Silks, Brocade and Velvet.

The textile crafts suffered during the British rule in subcontinent because of their economic strategy. Despite physical punishment the hardy rural folk kept the native textile tradition alive. However, most of the weavers now depend on machine-spinning.

Mill-made yarn in different counts is available to all categories of weavers, yet, the charkha has not gone out of use altogether nor has the spindle become obsolete.

A greater part of Pakistan's handloom cloth is made from indigenous cotton which remains a major cash crop of the country.

The simplest cotton weave 'Khaddar' described generally as coarse cloth is still in vogue. Although 'Khaddar' is produced all over the country yet the finest qualities are woven in Peshawar in Frontier Province; Lahore, Multan, Jhang, Sargodha, Kasur, Kamalia and Khelum districts in the Punjab; Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Karachi in Sindh.

Despite routine Shalwar/Kurta, Khaddar is also produced to meet the household requirements, such as-bed-covers, cushion covers, table cloths, plate-mats and curtains. During Moghal era this kind of textile was promoted to a higher degree and it became an important item of export.

At present Khes are used throughout Pakistan as bed covers, curtains, table covers, floor covering and shawls. Although simpler varieties are produced throughout Punjab and Sindh, the best known Khes comes from Multan, Sargodha, Gambat and Nasarpur.

Although the weaving techniques and constructions are similar in Sindh and Punjab but the colour schemes and designs vary on account of the taste and traditions of these areas. The Khes are traditionally woven in pairs.

The most common draped clothing is known as 'lacha' in interior Punjab. The image of a Punjabi village is not complete without 'Tehmud.' The most colourful 'tehmud' is known as 'Lungi' produced on handlooms in a number of towns - Multan, Faisalabad, Jhang, Sargodha, Kasur and Pind Dadan Khan in the Punjab.

Embroidery is a common trait for Pakistani womenfolk and admired by tourists from all over the world. A great diversity of embroidery styles can be found in different regions of the country.

The thin bronze needles discovered from Moenjodaro resemble those used for embroidery. During the Moghal period embroideries were listed among the crafts manufactured for export.

Lavish gold and silver embroideries on silk and velvet were in vogue during the Moghal era and has over the years been popular, and still continues to be a leader attraction even in the tourist industry.