Narrator: The custom of making Ajrak
goes back 5,000 years.
It's a unique form of block printing,
and it's an important part of the culture
in southern Pakistan's Sindh province.
The traditional method involves some unusual ingredients,
like camel and cow dung.
Narrator: But these days, customers are buying cheaper,
machine-made copies of these shawls.
We visited the small town of Bhit Shah
to see how one traditional Ajrak workshop
is still standing.
Imran Soomro started learning how to make Ajrak
from his father when he was 10,
and they still work together today.
Narrator: It all starts with stiff, pure cotton called kora.
Workers take the cloth to a nearby stream
for its very first wash.
They slap the cloth against the riverbanks repeatedly
to squeeze out any excess water.
Every single step is done by hand,
so it can take almost a month to make one shawl.
Then it's time for the most famous ingredient, ghisi.
Narrator: Camels used to be common in Bhit Shah,
but these days, workers from a nearby town
deliver the dung every day.
It's mixed with water, baking soda, and mustard oil
to form a base called saaj.
That's what gives Ajrak its musty smell
and eventually makes the colors pop.
Narrator: It takes a full bucket to soak 25 sheets.
They dunk the fabric into the saaj,
then coil it again and again to soak up the paste.
The cloth is soaked and dried at least four times
before it goes back into the river for another wash.
But they never let the fabric fully dry.
Narrator: After the raw fabric is treated for
four to five days, it's finally ready to be stamped.
Narrator: One artisan creates the outline
on all 40 pieces in the batch.
There are only three to four traditional patterns
that are still in use today,
but the workshop can customize designs.
A skilled block printer can finish 10 to 12 pieces in a day,
but the hard work doesn't always pay off.
Narrator: A high-end shawl from Imran's workshop costs up
to $50, but you can pick up a machine version for about $1.
Narrator: Still, many people can't tell the difference
between real and fake Ajrak.
But there are some signs.
Narrator: Imran says that's because they don't use any chemical dyes.
Narrator: For the next step, called khat,
workers fill the outline with black color.
It starts to give the Ajrak its signature look.
Then a worker stamps an herbal paste all over the cloth
so that dried cow dung can stick to the fabric.
This process, known as khar, protects sections of the Ajrak
that shouldn't be dyed.
Now the fabric is ready for its first dye.
Slowly, each Ajrak is dipped into this bubbly dye
until it turns a deep navy.
Workers take out the soaked sheets
and lay them in the sun before they're washed again.
The next stage demands a strong fire.
Imran's father, Muhammad, fills a bhatti,
or clay oven, with water, along with alizarin pigment
and an herb known as sakun.
Narrator: Then Muhammad repeatedly dips the Ajrak
into boiling water.
More and more pieces go into the bhatti,
and eventually they're all left to simmer
for at least an hour.
Imran checks the pot regularly
to make sure each piece is fully submerged.
Other pieces are dyed in smaller pots.
The patterns start to appear.
A worker lays out the Ajrak by the river the next morning.
Then the fabric is dyed,
block-printed, and washed again to enhance the colors.
Narrator: Each step leaves its mark,
with the stark crimson contrasting with the indigo,
black, and white.
Archeological records show
that Ajrak has been made in Sindh for over 5,000 years.
It dates back to one of the earliest civilizations
of the Indus Valley, where Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Jainism flourished.
Priest-kings wore the fabric over their shoulders
in the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro in Sindh.
Today, shawls like these are sold throughout Pakistan,
but Sindh is still the heart of the craft.
There are about 100 workshops
in this part of the province
that still make Ajrak the traditional way.
Growing up, Imran learned about legendary Ajrak artisans,
and some even belong to his own family.
Narrator: But the glory days of this ancient craft are long gone.
Cheaper, mass-produced shawls have taken over the market.
Narrator: To keep up with competition,
Imran's family business has diversified.
Narrator: Another change:
They've started selling directly to consumers
instead of just to local shops,
which kept some of the profits.
Narrator: The new business model has helped his workers, too.
Narrator: Imran credits nonprofit organizations
for training his workers on different techniques.
Narrator: And he's hopeful
that the Ajrak will continue to be cherished
by many future generations.