Kohistani Shawl

Embroidered textiles of the North West Frontier Province hint at the influence of trade and migration both within the Province itself and outside its boundaries. Intermingling with the nomad people of Afghanistan and central Asia also influence design traditions.  In most areas women still embroider but mostly on garments for their dowery. Other traditional clothing has been replaced by the ready made. Kohistan with its isolated valleys still retain most of its embroidery traditions.

Woman’s shawl from the Swat valley. This is an unusually ornate example of the fine silk embroidery done in the Swat valley. While it has similarities with the phulkari of Hazara and the Punjab, the designs used here are smaller and more complex than the simple geometric shapes typical of these embroideries and the ground wool is black compared to the white, maroon or blue wool ground of the phulkaris.

Cotton embroidered with floss magenta silk with polychrome accents througout.