“The Geometry of the Sharai” is a 12-month documentation project focused on preserving the endangered “wool-to-wearer” value chain of the Sharai (a traditional, gents’ hand-woven blanket) in Islampur, Swat, KP, Pakistan. The project systematically maps the entire craft lifecycle across two distinct geographic zones—starting from raw wool shearing in the high-altitude pastures of the Bahrain Valley down to the specialized pit-looms of Islampur.
The craft is currently facing an existential threat due to the rapid industrialization of unregulated power looms, which have displaced manual weavers and hollowed out traditional material knowledge. While 891 handlooms survive in the region, only 2% of specialized makers still retain the memory-based, centuries-old mental “blueprints” required to execute 14 complex floral and geometric motifs (such as the Mandano, Chinar Gulay, Ghat Chinji, and Sat Rangee).
Core Project Goals
- Full-Chain “Wool-to-Wearer” Documentation: To systematically record every stage of the Julageri (weaving) system using high-definition 4K videography and RAW macro-photography. This covers ecological knowledge like seasonal sheep shearing and manual fiber grading in the highlands, alongside lowland warping, pit-loom assembly, and natural dyeing.
- Gendered Knowledge Recovery: To utilize a Female Social Organizer to safely access and document indoor, domestic processes that are culturally inaccessible to male researchers due to local privacy customs (Pardah). This ensures the preservation of female-led steps, specifically hand-spinning via the Sarkha and the intricate knotting and twisting techniques of post-loom fringe-making.
- Pattern Preservation and IP Capture: To actively commission 4 Master Weavers to physically re-create the 14 vanished or endangered motifs. Documentation will focus on capturing the internal mathematical geometry, precise “thread-counting” sequences, and manual loom insertions required for both vibrant (shokh) and muted (dim) color palettes.
- Ethno-Linguistic and Contextual Archiving: To conduct semi-structured interviews with 20 key informants (weavers, spinners, pastoralists, and finishers) to preserve specialized Pashto and Torwali terminology, oral histories, and the historical patronage lineages of the textile.
- Local Knowledge Return: To compile the synthesized data into a bilingual Technical Catalogue of Vanishing Patterns and deposit a complete 2TB ruggedized digital archive locally with the Islampur Cottage Industries Association (ICIA) and the Swat Museum, ensuring a permanent training and educational asset remains within the artisan community.
PI: Hazer Gul
Collaborators: Aftab Ahmad and Umar Jamal
Research Location: Village Islamapur and Tehsil Bahrain, District Swat, Pakistan
Host Institution: Swat Participatory Council (SPC)
Top Banner Image: Nemat Ali, a master artisan. Photo credit: Hazer Gul, 2021.