Stage 1 of 5
Soften the cotton
Raw cotton is soaked in a mix that traditionally includes camel dung, oil and soda ash, then rinsed and beaten on stones so it takes dye evenly.
پاکستانی Stories and treasures from Pakistan
Pakistan, told one beautiful thing at a time.
Ride the Pakistanee Express from the Karachi coast to the apricot orchards of Hunza. At every stop we tell you the story of something made there, how it is made and how Pakistanis live with it, then point you to a trusted seller who ships to your door.
دیکھ مگر پیار سے“Look, but with love.” Painted on trucks all over Pakistan.
Truck poetry · read them all →
دیکھ مگر پیار سےLook, but with loveفاصلہ رکھیں ورنہ پیار ہو جائے گاKeep your distance, or you’ll fall in loveہنس مت پگلی پیار ہو جائے گاDon’t laugh, silly, or you’ll fall in loveپپو یار تنگ نہ کرPappu, my friend, don’t pester meماں کی دعا جنت کی ہواA mother’s prayer is a breeze from paradiseماشاءاللہAs God has willedہمت مرداں مدد خداBring the courage, and God brings the helpیا اللہ خیرO God, keep us safeبری نظر والے تیرا منہ کالاYou with the evil eye, may your face turn blackچشم بد دورMay the evil eye stay far awayجلنے والے کا منہ کالاShame on the one who is jealousہارن دو راستہ لوHonk, and the road is yoursتو چل میں آیاGo on ahead, I’m right behind youچلتی ہے گاڑی اڑتی ہے دھول، جلتے ہیں دشمن کھلتے ہیں پھولThe truck rolls, the dust flies; rivals burn, and flowers bloomقسمت اپنی اپنیEveryone has their own luckصبر کا پھل میٹھا ہوتا ہےThe fruit of patience is sweetمحنت میں عظمت ہےThere is greatness in hard workپھر ملیں گے اگر خدا لایاWe’ll meet again, if God brings us togetherرب راکھاMay God protect youخدا حافظGod be your guardianپاکستان زندہ بادLong live Pakistanدل دل پاکستانPakistan, heart and soulایمان، اتحاد، نظمFaith, unity, disciplineدیکھ مگر پیار سےLook, but with loveفاصلہ رکھیں ورنہ پیار ہو جائے گاKeep your distance, or you’ll fall in loveہنس مت پگلی پیار ہو جائے گاDon’t laugh, silly, or you’ll fall in loveپپو یار تنگ نہ کرPappu, my friend, don’t pester meماں کی دعا جنت کی ہواA mother’s prayer is a breeze from paradiseماشاءاللہAs God has willedہمت مرداں مدد خداBring the courage, and God brings the helpیا اللہ خیرO God, keep us safeبری نظر والے تیرا منہ کالاYou with the evil eye, may your face turn blackچشم بد دورMay the evil eye stay far awayجلنے والے کا منہ کالاShame on the one who is jealousہارن دو راستہ لوHonk, and the road is yoursتو چل میں آیاGo on ahead, I’m right behind youچلتی ہے گاڑی اڑتی ہے دھول، جلتے ہیں دشمن کھلتے ہیں پھولThe truck rolls, the dust flies; rivals burn, and flowers bloomقسمت اپنی اپنیEveryone has their own luckصبر کا پھل میٹھا ہوتا ہےThe fruit of patience is sweetمحنت میں عظمت ہےThere is greatness in hard workپھر ملیں گے اگر خدا لایاWe’ll meet again, if God brings us togetherرب راکھاMay God protect youخدا حافظGod be your guardianپاکستان زندہ بادLong live Pakistanدل دل پاکستانPakistan, heart and soulایمان، اتحاد، نظمFaith, unity, discipline
The route · Karachi to Hunza
Fourteen stops, from the Arabian Sea to the Karakoram.
Scroll to drive north. Each stop is a town where something wonderful is made. Tap anything to hear its story.
Why are the stops called “chak”?
In Punjab, many villages were laid out in numbered blocks when the canal colonies were settled from the 1880s, so they have numbers instead of names: Chak 5, Chak 47/GB. Pakistanis still say them that way. We number our stops the same way, and our truck stops at every one.
End of the road · Khunjerab Pass, 4,693 m
Featured story · Sindh
How Sindh prints the night sky.
Ajrak is cotton block-printed by hand and dyed with indigo and madder. Scroll to follow one cloth through the workshop.
Stage 2 of 5
Stamp the resist
Carved wooden blocks are dipped in a paste of gum and lime and pressed down in rhythm. Wherever paste lands, the next dye cannot reach.
Stage 3 of 5
Bathe it in indigo
The cloth goes into the indigo vat. It comes out green and turns blue as it meets the air.
Stage 4 of 5
Print the mordant and boil in madder
Alum is printed where red is wanted, then the cloth is boiled with madder root. Only the mordanted shapes turn red.
Stage 5 of 5
Wash and dry, again and again
Repeated washing in running water and drying in the sun brighten the colours. As many as sixteen stages in all.
Browse by region
Five regions, each with its own trades.
Every region page groups what we have found by town, so it stays easy to browse as the collection grows.
From the bazaar
Good places to start.
Real photo comingThe kettle from both sidesThe real thing
Truck-art kettleٹرک آرٹ
Hand-painted metal kettle
The painting on Pakistan’s trucks, shrunk to fit a kitchen shelf.
$20–70Commission link
Real photo comingA shelf of red spice boxesThe real thing
Shan masalaشان مصالحہ
Pakistani spice mixes, one dish per box
Biryani, nihari and karahi from a Karachi box, with the recipe printed on the back.
$3–8Commission link
Real photo comingA cold green bottle with condensationThe real thing
Pakolaپاکولا
Green ice cream soda
Karachi’s bright green ice cream soda.
$3–15Commission link
Real photo comingA stack of bangles on a wristThe real thing
Hyderabadi banglesچوڑیاں
Glass bangles, sold by the dozen
Glass rings in every colour, from the city that makes them for all of Pakistan.
$8–40Commission link
Real photo comingFront and back of the same cloth, side by sideThe real thing
Ajrakاجرک
Block-printed cotton shawl
Indigo and madder, stamped by hand on both sides of the cloth.
$30–60Commission link
Real photo comingA full dress laid flatThe real thing
Balochi embroideryبلوچی کڑھائی
Hand-embroidered dress and panels
Needlework so dense the cloth underneath almost disappears.
$60–300Direct from maker
Real photo comingA box of Chaunsa mangoesThe real thing
Chaunsa mangoesچونسہ آم
Pakistan’s famous summer mangoes
Sweet, fibre-free and fragrant: the mango Pakistanis argue is the best in the world.
$30–80Direct from maker
Real photo comingA vase from two sidesThe real thing
Multani blue potteryکاشی گری
Hand-painted glazed ceramics
Cobalt and turquoise on white, the colours of Multan’s shrines.
$25–120Commission link
What Pakistan drinks
Green soda, rose syrup, and a lot of tea.
From Pakola with biryani to Rooh Afza at the end of a Ramadan fast, these are the drinks every Pakistani grew up with.
Real photo comingA cold green bottle with condensationThe real thing
Pakolaپاکولا
Green ice cream soda
Karachi’s bright green ice cream soda.
$3–15Commission link
Real photo comingThe tall red bottleThe real thing
Rooh Afzaروح افزا
Rose and herb syrup for cold drinks
The ruby-red syrup that opens the fast in every Pakistani home.
$5–15Commission link
Real photo comingA packet of tea and a cup of doodh pattiThe real thing
Tapal Danedarدودھ پتی
Strong black tea for milky Pakistani chai
The strong, granular tea behind Pakistan’s milky, sugary doodh patti.
$6–18Commission link
Real photo comingKahwa poured into small cupsThe real thing
Kahwa green teaقہوہ
Green tea with cardamom
Green tea with cardamom, poured in Peshawar’s Storytellers’ Bazaar.
$8–20Commission link
How buying works
We tell the story. A trusted seller ships it to you.
Pakistanee is a guide, not a shop. We never hold your money or your parcel.
Step 1
We find the real thing
We trace each object to the town and the people who make it, and we tell you what the genuine version looks like so you can spot a copy.
Step 2
We choose sellers who ship to you
Every seller we point to already ships internationally, has a public track record, and sells the genuine article, not a factory lookalike.
Step 3
You buy from them directly
Checkout happens on the seller’s own site or platform, with their buyer protection. Some links earn us a small commission. Your price stays the same.
Commission link
If you buy through this link, the platform may pay us a small fee. It never changes your price.
Direct from maker
We earn nothing from these. They have no affiliate program, and we list them because they belong here.
For makers in Pakistan
Do you make something Pakistan should be famous for?
If you already sell abroad, on Etsy, Amazon, your own shop or Instagram, we would like to tell your story. Listing is free.
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One story from Pakistan each month, with where to find the thing it is about.
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