The Kashmiri Shawl: From Jamavar to Paisley

Illustrations: 430 col., 7 b&w

The Kashmiri shawl is rooted in a complex tradition of craft that dates back at least five hundred years. Its uniqueness lies in a combination of factors that have made it virtually impossible to duplicate anywhere else. The Kashmiri Shawl is the story of this textile, re-told through a South Asian perspective. This book re-aligns the design symbolism and technical evolution of the shawl to indigenous sources by placing emphasis on areas previously ignored in earlier histories. The shawl's origins in Kashmir, the rich vein of patronage it thrived on, its changing ornamental face, its regional variations in Persia and Punjab, its enormous impact on the European imagination, all combine to form a narrative shaped to engage the reader.

The authors bring fresh clarity to the many myths that have arisen around the Kashmiri shawl on the South Asian trade circuit. They also interpret most of the complexities in the Kashmiri shawl lexicon. Today, possessing one of these jewel-like collectables is like owning a tiny stake in the heritage of its many-layered cultural identities.

Sherry Rehman is a journalist and former editor of the award-winning Herald news magazine based in Pakistan.

Naheed Jafri is a textile designer from Pakistan and former head of the Design Department of the National Book Foundation.