The Art of Mirror Embroidery on Women’s Wear and Home Furnishing Products, in Two Villages of Sanghar Sindh

Abstract

The art of mirror embroidery is one of the most unique aspects associated with Sindh (one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the southeast of the country), but only a little research work has been conducted on this major embroidery form. This research is designed to present a detailed study of the art of mirror embroidery in two villages of Sanghar (one of the largest districts of Sindh province, Pakistan), with an emphasis on its application on women’s wear and home furnishing products. The Sanghar district was chosen as the area of study, being one of the most important centers of mirror embroidery in Sindh. Qualitative data were primarily collected from two villages of Sanghar—Moulvi Khair Muhammad and Haji Abdul Karim Laghari—following a phenomenological approach and considering the technical, visual and cultural aspects of mirror embroidery in these two villages.

Keywords:

• Sindh
• Sanghar
• mirror embroidery
• stitch

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saba Qayoom Leghari

Saba Qayoom Leghari is currently working as Lecturer in the department of Textile Design, Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design (CEAD) MUET Jamshoro. She completed her Bachelors in Design from the Institute of Art and Design University of Sindh Jamshoro in 2013, where she got highest marks in her Department as well as in the Faculty of Arts. Thus she was awarded with Gold medal as well as Silver medal. Initially she was appointed as Teaching Assistant in her Alma Matter where she served for three years from August 2014 to June 2017 on contractual basis. In 2018 she was appointed as Lecturer in CEAD MUET Jamshoro where she is still serving. As a researcher, her interest lies within the unexplored and lost traditions of the indigenous textiles of Sindh. [email protected]

Bhai Khan Shar

Bhai Khan Shar is currently working as Director, Center of Excellence in Arts and Design (CEAD), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro. He has served in various academic and administrative positions from BPS 17 to 21 for over 30 years. He did his PhD from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England in 2002. Prior to that he did his Bachelors in Architecture, from the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro in 1986. He worked as an architect for M/S Rizki and Company, Karachi, for two years soon after graduation before joining the Department of Architecture, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro as lecturer in December 1988. Since, then he is continuously engaged in academic, administrative and research activities. In the year 2005, he was elevated to the position of a full professor. At present, he is heading CEAD, as its director.