Herat: The Pearl of Khorasan | Shabnam Nasimi

Before Michelangelo, before da Vinci—Herat was already shaping the world. This ancient city sparked a renaissance before Florence—a place most have never even heard of, let alone seen.

The story of suzanis

Just-landed: a limited collection of richly-decorated suzanis. Hand-embroidered by craftswomen from Uzbekistan on 100% cotton fabric with fine silk thread, these textiles offer a versatile solution...

Ghazni: Where the Shahnama Was Born | Shabnam Nasimi

Three hours away from Kabul lies a place called Ghazni. 

Why does the future look so bland?

And what does it tell us about our society? Around 17,000 people once worked in the trade; now there is only one company left, with no apprentices. It’s hard not to feel misty eyed about the loss o...

Balkh: “The Mother of All Cities” | Shabnam Nasimi

Long before Rome’s power, Babylon’s hanging gardens, or the great palaces of Persepolis, there was ‘Balkh’—the shining jewel of the ancient world. To the Greeks, it was known as ‘Bactra’, a land of...

The craft of smuggling

A shipment of one of our wooden Jali trays was recently held by Border Force. When we finally received the package, we unwrapped the packaging to find that Border Force had drilled a small hole thr...

Kabul’s Forgotten Legends | Shabnam Nasimi

The Kabul you haven’t heard of; where storytelling shapes its soul.

Moral conundrum? | Letter from our Co-founder

“I love my glasses and my husband wants to buy me some more. But I’m concerned about supporting a regime which is so oppressive to women. I’ve never been and so I don’t know much other than what I ...

Samangan: the city of Rostam and Sohrab

You’ve probably never heard of this city in Afghanistan — but it shaped one of Persia’s greatest literary tragedies.

GUEST EDIT | Mathilda Della Torre

Mathilda Della Torre is a designer and activist whose work focuses on creating projects and campaigns that transition us to a sustainable, fair, and just society. She is the founder of Conversation...

ISHKAR's End of Year - 2023

Dear Friends,When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban two years ago, we faced a stark choice. Many called for businesses to stop trading with Afghanistan, fearing trade would legitimise the Taliban go...

GUEST EDIT | TARAN KHAN

One reason we wanted a physical ISHKAR shop was so that we could host events, talks, supper clubs, screenings, exhibitions, etc. A place to join with others and explore the cultures in some of the ...