Handmade pottery
On the left side of the Indian River in Sindh, you will find a somewhat lively town - Hara. Since ancient times, the birthplace of Kashi craftsmen, the most popular handicrafts are pottery, its glazed ceramic terracotta popular in Pakistan and other regions.
The city produces pottery of various shapes and sizes, famous for its hand-painted designs. The most popular colors are cobalt blue, green pine, purple, mustard, white, and brown. Hala pottery has a high demand in Europe and the Middle East.
Perfect design
If you decide to visit this town, you will have an exciting time. Throughout the street, you will find many factories that are more like pottery factories than actual factories. They are not designed like the modern pottery studios you might expect to find in Europe. They have been handed down from generation to generation. The borders marked by the brick wall make these workshops have a unified and simple feeling.
Pottery from Hara
Each workshop is divided into different parts, some of which are used to store pottery and other ceramics; the other part is used to heat pottery products, while the other part is used to make and paint pottery.
You will find that people are living near the workshop, usually opposite the workshop. These houses are a simple brick wall design that is the same as their famous pottery material.
Working on original clay
Each piece has gone through a long process involving 20 steps. In most cases, one person completes all the processes. However, you may find that some workshops have five or ten people working. Interestingly, everything in the workshop is handmade. This is a long and difficult process, but to ensure that each piece is unique. The entire process begins with soil composting, screening and mixing.
One of the most interesting places you will encounter is wood-fueled stoves. This is where the molded ceramic device will be heated for about 20 hours before the painting process begins.
If you are lucky, you will even find a craftsman who can give you pottery lessons. The pottery wheel design used by them has been passed down for generations. In most cases, craftsmen will tell you that their family has been a pottery artist so far, but it is not clear when they started.
Even young people in this town still hope to inherit their family heritage from generation to generation. In addition to taking over his father's workshop one day, they will not consider other things. Young people spend most of their time improving their pottery until one day they can produce better works.
Hand-painted pattern
The painting process is a miracle. You will see that every craftsman will have an amazing moment when he is painting pottery. Watching each craftsman vividly with a brush and some ink is amazing. When they use the stencil painting, stable and skilled hands are really surprising. You will have to believe in your eyes, but they really don't use any machines. Otherwise, you may think that they are using some complicated methods to make the design.
Hala's other handicrafts
Although pottery is the most famous process of Hara, there are many other things. These handicrafts have been sold for centuries in markets such as Baghdad, Istanbul, Cairo, Armenia, and Samarkand. Famous works are known as Jandi's lacquerware wood products in the local community.
Due to its durability, refinement and natural beauty, Jandi enjoys a worldwide reputation. It is widely used as candle holders, vases, cigarette cases, lamps, jewelry boxes, cribs, swings, flower pots, ashtrays, bedroom sets, chairs, tables, telephone stands, and sofa sets. Jandi's work is very durable, but alcohol, acidic liquids, and sunlight are their greatest enemies.
Wood products from Hala
Harrah's clothing and textiles
The garments produced by Harrah's are made using the world's oldest hand-made textile mechanism, which can be traced back to the civilization of the Indus Valley. These local hand-woven fabrics called Khadi “Khadi” have been exported to various countries in the world since ancient times.
Handloom from Harrah
Cardi is made from natural fibers of cotton, silk and wool. It is the last remaining 100% natural fabric, unlike other hand-woven fabrics that mix cellulose fibers.
Jhandi's Crafts
Over the years, hand-held textile machine technology has achieved technological improvements. They include spinning wheels and pedals, which helps increase the dyeing, design and printing of the refinement. At the time of the invention, Harrah's lightweight fabric was a luxury for people at the time, used for linen and wool sweaters.
Textile craftsmen at work
Larry "Rilli" is another common fabric in the area. This is a patchwork cloth and is considered part of the local culture. Each household in Sindh will provide Larry for each family member. They will also prepare some spare parts for the guests. Larry is made up of small pieces of different sizes and shapes that are woven together to create a beautiful design. Larry is also part of the gift giving culture. They are also used as bedspreads and blankets, and carefully crafted Larry can also be a bridegroom or bride's return.
Although Hala’s family has so many talents and produced many wonderful works of art, it is still very poor. Some families who are linked to the intermediary stated that they were forced to sell their artworks at half the market price.
Women in textile yarn
Many workers are forced to borrow money from intermediaries, which makes their products difficult to sell. However, if you visit a craftsman, buying a beautiful piece from him without an intermediary means that you are admiring their art rather than using them.