Four eight-pointed stars are the central theme of this gorgeous textile made by Hazara women, dated to the mid 20th century. Hand-embroidered in extremely fine cross stitch in silk thread on a tan cotton linen, it is the workmanship that marvels. The cross stitch on this textile can be more properly appreciated under a loupe. Each of the four eight-pointed stars is echoed by more eight-pointed stars and accented by triangular hooked motifs down the middle of the piece...

Living in the rough mountainous terrain of eastern Paktika and over the Pakistan border in Waziristan, the women of the Mangali tribe wear these leggings for protection. Loose, baggy trousers are tucked into them, and they are re-used until they wear out. Very thick bergundy silk thread is worked in horizontal rows on the top in cross stitch, and on the lower part in vertical bands of heavy whip stitch. Geometric patterns are superimposed in random coloring...

Embroidered in cotton and acrylic thread on a light blue cotton background with sequins and white bead fringing, this child's hat from Indus Kohistan ("Land of mountains") in Pakistan measures: circumference: 50 inches (127 cm); diameter: 6 inches (15.24 cm). Condition is excellent. Estimated age: mid 20th century. The peak of the crown is achieved with wood gathered from the local forests, expertly woven to make the crown...

Metallic thread is used to optimal effect in this Pashtun nomad's purse from southern Afghanistan. The thread is not taken through the magenta silk background but applied onto it in couched threads, laid parallel to each other and caught down by a small stitch in colored cotton...

The use of long and short stitch in this Hazara textile from central Afghanistan gives a more detailed surface that better reflects the light than satin stitch. Silk thread on a fine cotton ground, the overall design alternates densely embroidered areas with others left unworked. This napkin measures 32.5 x 34.8 cm and is in excellent condition. Estimated age: late 20th century. The continuous supplementary-weft technique makes this textile reversible and either face may be used as the front.

A genuine, vintage hand embroidered and beaded Pashtun tablecloth or tray cover cloth from the early part of the 20th century. These decorative embroidered and beaded textiles were made to show off the skills of young women in contemplation of marriage and this was brought back from Afghanistan in the 1960s. It is typically brilliantly coloured and it measures 33" x 27" (that measurement includes the beaded strands, which are approximately 1/1/2" in length)...

This child's hat from the remote valleys of Indus Kohistan measures 15 cm in diameter and 45 cm in circumference. Embroidered in an extremely fine tent stitch (petit point) and ladder stitch in acrylic thread, it features a beaded tassel and a horned amulet made of the teeth of a musk deer, believed to repel evil spirits. The hat is estimated to date to the mid or late 20th century and is in excellent condition.

Measuring 22.6 cm x 23.3 (22.6 x 51.3 including the belt), this child's waistcoat panel was hand-embroidered by Pashtun Mangal women in silk thread on a green silk and red cotton background, in a delicate combination of satin stitch, herringbone stitch and long and short stitch. Its estimated age is mid to late 20th century. Condition is excellent...

Meticulously worked in cross stitch in cotton thread, this yurt ornament (saye gosha) is from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, where the Uzbeks form 10% of the population. The embroidered portion of this textile measures 19.5 x 20 inches, not including the wool fringes, which measure an additional 5 inches. The width of each panel is 10 inches including the fringes. Condition is overall good with one minor stain and some missing fringes. Estimated age: late 20th century...

A Pashtun nomad's purse from Katawaz, Ghazni province, circa mid 20th century. There are blue beads along all the edges, used to ward off the evil eye. The purse has metallic trim along all the edges and fine Bokhara couching which covers the entire surface area, front and back. The beaded cord winds around the purse to keep it closed. There are two pockets inside, lined with red cotton fabric. The purse measures 6 x 11 inches when opened and elongated, 5 x 6 1/2 inches when closed...

A Hazara woman's hat from Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, hand-embroidered in silk thread on a cotton ground depicting rosettes in yellow, green, blue, pink and turquoise. Long and short stitch and some herringbone stitch in silk thread. Diameter: 21 cm, circumference: 55.5 cm. The hat is in excellent condition. Estimated age mid 20th century.

Mongolian embroidered & hand stitched fabric Wall Hanging, used in the Ger, Ca. early 1900's, 75" x 42"-46" wide, stained some area but all intact.

An exceptionally fine embroidered purse from Katawaz (Ghazni province), Afghanistan, circa early to mid 20th century. The embroidery on this piece is basically metallic embroidery on both sides, with mirror stitching and fine metallic couching. The front side is comprised of Bokhara couching, where the thread is taken across the surface for the desired length, then, bringing the needle back to the beginning, it is caught down at regular intervals by small stitches...

Due to its strategic location on the ancient Silk Road, the area of Indus Kohistan on the Indus River has absorbed many influences from East and West. This young child's helmet ("khohl") from Indus Kohistan is topped with a beaded tassel, reminiscent of the Phrygian caps of antiquity. Such hats are everyday wear for the small children of the region, one of the most impoverished in all of Pakistan...

This is an old pair of sleeve cuffs from Maqur district in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, embroidered on a thin muslin ground. Red, orange, green and bergundy silk threads are embroidered in a very finely worked ladder stitch, forming interlocking volute designs. Small glass mirrors are artfully incorporated into the embroidery. Mirrorwork embroidery is quite popular in parts of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Known as "shisha" in the Indian subcontinent where it is thought to have originated,...

Measuring 30 x 32.5 cm, this child's waistcoat from Afghanistan is embroidered in cross stitch in silk thread in geometric patterns, very typical of Hazara embroideries. However, as Bernard Dupaigne has noted, Pashtun and Hazara embroideries are sometimes difficult to distinguish due to the geographic proximity of both groups in the central region of Afghanistan. There is a style that incorporates the Hazara predilection for geometric designs in cross stitch, while the Pashtun influence is refl...

A vintage silk purse with mirrors ("shisha"), embroidered in whorl designs in silk thread on a dark purple silk background. A neat example of the couching technique favored by the Pashtuns, where the metal threads form a neat grid of lines and then fastened down with staggered stitches. This purse is from Katawaz (Ghazni province) in Afghanistan. Condition: Excellent. This purse measures 13.5 x 16.5 cm and is decorated with blue turquoise beads along the edges.

A hand-embroidered bag made by Pashtun nomads from Ghazni province (probably Katawaz), Afghanistan. Floral motifs combined with arabesques in herringbone stitch in silk thread on a purple silk background. The Bokhara couching technique is used to maximum effect, where the metallic threads are laid parallel to each other and fastened at regular intervals by tiny red stitches. Blue beads adorn the edges to ward off the evil eye. The interior of the bag is lined in a blue printed fabric. Measu...

This hand-embroidered purse was made by Pashtun nomadic women of Katawaz in Ghazni province and measures 15.5 x 25.5 cm. The embroidery designs are a combination of eight-pointed stars and abstract wave and spiral motifs in fine ladder stitch, neatly arranged in a series of rectangular panels with gold braiding. Mirrors ("shisha") are expertly fastened down in an intricate ladder stitch and embellished with gold thread executed in Romanian couching (pokhtaduzi), where the small holding stitches ...

This densely embroidered purse is from Katawaz (Ghazni province), Afghanistan and measures 12x25 cm when opened, 11x12.5 cm when closed. The metallic thread embroidery is not taken through the background fabric but applied onto it in satin stitches, laid parallel to each other and held down by tiny stitches in orange thread. This embroidery technique serves to create the curvilinear designs in relief. The core is red, green and aubergine silk velvet and the relief designs are neatly framed in b...

A Hazara prayer cloth from Wardak or Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, circa early 20th century. Satin stitch in multicolored silk thread on fine white linen. Squares and triangles are embroidered in complex symmetrical arrangements to form a very balanced, unified composition. Measures 32 x 32 cm. Condition: Very good, a small mend on the perimeter.

A densely beaded Uzbek purse, probably from Mazar-i-Sharif or Kunduz, northern Afghanistan. The designs are typical of Uzbek embroidery in which variations on geometric shapes are emphasized for talismanic effect. The purse is edged with gold trim and blue beads as a prophylactic against the evil eye. The purse is lined with green and pink silk, and a red cotton fabric. There are three pockets inside. Condition: Excellent. Measures 15x25 cm when opened, 12x15 cm when closed. Estimated age: earl...

This lovely child's hat was hand-embroidered by women of Kohistan, an area of lush green forests and valleys located on the river Indus. The embroidery technique is a fine cross stitch and brick stitch in acrylic thread with white beads and buttons. Diameter: 7.5 inches, circumference: 18 inches. Condition: Excellent. Estimated age: late 20th century. The hat size indicates it was made for an infant or toddler.

A child's hat from Indus Kohistan, measuring 18 cm in diameter, 44 cm in circumference. The embroidery is extremely fine satin stitch and cross stitch. Kohistan means "Land of Mountains" and has two distinct meanings in Pakistan. In Persian "koh" means "peak" and "istaan" means "land of". In its usual modern sense, Kohistan District is an administrative district within Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province covering an area of 7,492 square kilometres. In a broader historic and geographic sense, ...

This is a Hazara woman's hat from Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan. Circumference: 51.5 cm; Diameter: 18 cm. The embroidery technique is satin stitch in pink and yellow silk thread on a green polyester ground. Its condition is excellent given its age (mid 20th century). No spots, bleeding, etc.

A pair of old Uzbek sleeve embroideries dated to the mid to late 20th century. They measure 14.5 x 36 cm combined together. Cross stitch in silk thread depicting geometric motifs on a cotton ground. Condition: Excellent.

A brass mold of an Oriental silversmith producing traditional jewelry. Country of provenance might be Afghanistan. Cf. Janata, Alfred: "Schmuck in Afghanistan" ISBN 3-201-01150-9, page 187. From an old Swiss collection. Condition: labeled with color. Dimension: 2.4 cm x 3.1 cm x 1.2 cm.

Embroidered in satin stitch and Holbein stich in red, green and blue silk thread, this Pashtun napkin measures 21 x 22 cm and is dated to the early to mid 20th century. Condition is good overall given the age of this textile, though with a few light brown stains and some missing threads. The repetitive geometric design alternates the embroidered areas with others left unworked, leaving a surprisingly dynamic impression.

This textile is from Jaghori in central Afghanistan. It measures 25 x 26 centimeters and is in excellent condition. It is embroidered in cross stitch in silk thread and tightly worked into an overall composition that is very typical of the embroidery from this area. Estimated age: mid 20th century. Condition: Excellent.

This small Afghanistan textile is embroidered in extremely fine satin stitch with repetitive triangular motifs in silk thread on a silk background. The Hazara are the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, inhabiting mostly central Afghanistan (Ghazni and Bamiyan provinces). This piece was probably made during the winter months where the women are commonly cut off from the world for six months out of the year due to the extreme climate. The continuous supplementary-weft technique makes this...

A pair of vintage hand-embroidered make-up bags made by Pashtun nomads from Katawaz, located in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. Each bag is hand-embroidered in silk thread in a tight ladder stitch on a silk background, with some Bukhara stitching where the threads are held down with separate thread in a couching technique, and one bag featuring some small mirrorwork. One of the bags is lined with printed cotton fabric, probably from Russia. Both bags are estimated to date to the mid 20th century...

This textile from Afghanistan measures 24 x 27 cm and is dated to the mid 20th century. The highlights of this textile are the four mirrors ("shisha") which are made of mirror glass and used as an amulet to ward off the evil eye. The embroidery is silk thread on a plum cotton ground, in straight stitch, ladder stitch and Holbein stitch, all combined in an effective way to make the overall composition. The Mangal are one of the largest and perhaps the most powerful and influential Pashtun tribes...

This is a dowry purse from Afghanistan, measuring 19.5 cm x 29 when open, 16 x 19.5 when closed. The embroidery technique is silk thread in button stitch with herringbone stitch and long and short stitch. Embroidered on a silk background with mica mirrors, a few of them missing, the purse is otherwise in good condition for its age (mid to late 20th century).

Measuring 33 x 39 cm, this vintage Hazara child's vest from Afghanistan is from the 1960s. The embroidery is extremely fine straight stitch and long and short stitch in wool thread on a light brown linen ground, depicting geometric motifs in vibrant color. Condition: Excellent, no stains, no holes, no odors. The Hazara are the third largest ethnic group of Afghanistan. They are a Persian-speaking people who live mostly in central Afghanistan (Bamiyan and Ghazni provinces) and are overwhelmingly...

This is a dress panel made by Kuchi nomads from Afghanistan, with mirrorwork (shisha) and extensive beadwork. This textile represents the most common form of the amulet, the triangle. Decorative embroideries such as these are used as a protective element in central Asian cultures. The mirrors as shiny objects are incorporated into the embroidery and are believed to avert the evil eye, or reflect and hold its image thus absorbing the destructive powers. The beads trimming this textile also ser...

A Hazara puttee estimated to date from the mid to late 20th century, in perfect condition. Measures 10x65 cm (with the tassel, 124 cm in length). Condition is excellent. On one side is a printed fabric, probably from Russia. The extremely fine brick stitch in interlocking diamond patterns is a hallmark of Hazara embroidery. Probably from Jaghori (Ghazni) or Bamiyan province.