Pashai Shirt from Afghanistan

A quilted and embroidered shirt from the Pashai in Afghanistan.. A quilted and embroidered shirt from the Pashai in Afghanistan.. Courtesy Textile Research Centre, Leiden, acc. no. TRC 2018.2581.

The Textile Research Centre in Leiden has an embroidered shirt that is linked to the Pashai community in Afghanistan (TRC 2018.2581) The Pashai live northeast of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and speak a Dardic (Indic) language, different from the dominant Iranian and Turkic languages of the country. 

Detail of the sleeve of Pashai shirt, TRC 2018.2581.The shirt is made of two layers of a thick cotton material, which are quilted together with lines of cross stitch, running stitch, two-sided line stitch and paired running stitch. The stitches are worked over four warp and four weft threads in various orders. The material is made with paired weft threads and single warp threads, which, when stitched, causes a rippled effect.

The TRC also has other Pashai embroidered garments, namely two women's caps (TRC 2000.0116 and TRC 2000.0117).

TRC online catalogue, TRC 2018.2581 (retrieved 16 May 2021).

WV

Last modified on Monday, 17 May 2021 09:06