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Pakistani gifts
The best Pakistani gifts carry a place with them: ajrak cloth printed by hand in Hala, blue pottery from Multan, a truck-art kettle painted in Karachi, a tin of sohan halwa from Multan’s old sweet shops. Pakistanis call a gift like this saughaat, something brought back from somewhere so the people at home can share it.
Every gift below has its own page with its story, how to tell the genuine version from a copy, a typical price and sellers who ship abroad. Most are light and travel well; the few that need care, like pottery and lamps, say so.
22 things
Hand-painted metal kettle
The painting on Pakistan’s trucks, shrunk to fit a kitchen shelf.
Pakistani spice mixes, one dish per box
Biryani, nihari and karahi from a Karachi box, with the recipe printed on the back.
Green ice cream soda
Karachi’s bright green ice cream soda.
Rose and herb syrup for cold drinks
The ruby-red syrup that opens the fast in every Pakistani home.
Photo: Miansari66The real thingStrong black tea for milky Pakistani chai
The strong, granular tea behind Pakistan’s milky, sugary doodh patti.
Glass bangles, sold by the dozen
Glass rings in every colour, from the city that makes them for all of Pakistan.
Embroidered mirror-work cap
A round cap covered in mirrors, with an arch cut out at the front.
Photo: Ahub1988The real thingBlock-printed cotton shawl
Indigo and madder, stamped by hand on both sides of the cloth.
Lacquered, lathe-turned wood
Wood turned on a lathe and coloured by friction, in bands of red, yellow and green.
Long pine nuts, roasted in the shell
Winter’s most prized snack, from the pine forests of the Suleiman mountains.
Hand-turned banded stone bowl
Green and honey-banded stone from the hills of Balochistan, turned by hand.
Photo: Jahanzaib ZaiThe real thingPakistan’s famous summer mangoes
Sweet, fibre-free and fragrant: the mango Pakistanis argue is the best in the world.
Hand-painted glazed ceramics
Cobalt and turquoise on white, the colours of Multan’s shrines.
Dense sweet made with ghee and nuts
Multan’s dense, nutty sweet, sold in round tins.
Hand-carved wooden furniture and boxes
Deep floral carving in dark wood, from a town of woodcarvers.
Photo: Miansari66The real thingDried fenugreek leaves
The dried leaves that make a curry smell like a restaurant kitchen.
Photo: Arv94The real thingHand-shaped willow cricket bat
Shaped by hand in the city that equips cricket teams around the world.
Hand-stitched football
Made in the city that stitched World Cup match balls.
Rock salt from the Salt Range
The pink salt sold worldwide as “Himalayan” comes from one range of hills in Punjab.
Green tea with cardamom
Green tea with cardamom, poured in Peshawar’s Storytellers’ Bazaar.
Rolled wool cap
A soft wool cap with a rolled brim, made for mountain winters.
Sun-dried apricots and apricot oil
Sun-dried on rooftops in the valley below Rakaposhi.
Guides
Gifts & guides
What to bring back from Pakistan, what to send to someone who misses it, and what to order if you have never been. Twenty-eight gifts, from a two-dollar box of spices to an heirloom quilt.
Food & drink
A spoonful of ruby-red syrup, a glass of cold water or milk, and the fast is broken. The story of Rooh Afza, why there are three of them, and how Pakistanis drink it.
Food & drink
No spices, no tea bags, no shortcuts: strong granular tea, whole milk and sugar, boiled until the colour is just right. Here is how Pakistanis make the tea they drink five times a day.
Food & drink
The pink salt in kitchens from Texas to Tokyo is dug out of one range of hills in Punjab. Here is the mine, the 600-million-year-old sea behind it, and what the label leaves out.
Craft & culture
Peacocks, flying horses, eyes against envy and a line of poetry on the tailgate. How Pakistan’s working trucks became the country’s most famous folk art.
Questions
Ajrak shawls, Multani blue pottery, truck-art kettles and khussa shoes are the classic handmade gifts. For food lovers, Shan masala, Tapal tea, sohan halwa and Khewra pink salt are cheap, light and easy to post.
Something that tastes of home: Pakola, Rooh Afza, sohan halwa, Shan masala for their favourite dish, or a box of Chaunsa mangoes in summer.
Yes. Every product here links to sellers that already ship internationally, through Etsy, Amazon, their own shops or Instagram, with the shipping cost shown before you pay.
For makers in Pakistan
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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