How Camel Skin Is Turned Into Lamps In Pakistan | Still Standing | Business Insider

Artisans in Multan in Pakistan are famous for making camel skin lamps using a naqashi painting technique that goes back 900 years. In 1910, Ustad Abdullah Naqash started doing naqashi art on camel skin. Today, his grandson, Malik Abdul Rehman Naqash, is keeping the tradition going.

Check out Malik's work here:

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How Camel Skin Is Turned Into Lamps In Pakistan | Still Standing | Business Insider

[alipapa]

My parents got one Multan made lamp in early 90s. It moved with us across many countries over the past 3 decades. Zero maintenance. Looks exactly like it did on day 1.

[maxasaurus]

I love that he credits his success to his father’s hard work, God Bless all three!

[shriyabhattacharya]

Thanks business insider for covering these stories from all around the globe, doing all research, making videos out of it, translating them to English, bringing them into spotlight, letting us know about their craft and vulnerabilities they face. This "Standing Still" segment is my favorite. 😇☺️

[BugzNBeanz]

With the amount of time it takes to freestyle the floral designs these pieces should be sold for no less than $500.
$1, 000 for the large pieces at least.
They’re already selling them online so I assume many of those orders are from foreign customers. If they simply appeal to rich clients the industry will thrive. They need to think bigger and not sell themselves short of their laborious craft.

[ryan]

All I can say is they deserve more $ for how much work and detail involved in making these. Those designs were awesome 👍

[anushk]

As a leather designer from india, I know how tough the entire process is, especially the moulding. So much respect to these artists from Multan. Sending love.

[shreddman]

As a Pakistani myself, these beauteous lamps are one of the main fascinations when I visit Multan. I can't imagine the hardwork that goes into crafting each lamp; all those marvelous floral patterns- beautiful!

[thehangmansdaughter]

My god, they're beautiful! Truly stunning. What talent. But $7 for a small lamp is far too little, that cents per hour for highly skilled work.

[jamesbiering]

Beautiful art!! And these folks are masters at their trade that makes beautiful art. I think I might buy one for my grandma for her 80th birthday!!

[pawanjyoti]

It is saddening to see that in coming years beautiful arts like this will dwindle and will only be limited to a chapter in some textbook. I wish the government will take measures to keep it alive. Arts like these are the identity of that very region and we should preserve it. Love from India.

[mussie]

I wish more people were interested and paid well for these amazing handmade crafts. These kinda things can actually turn into a luxury because of how precious they are.

[emmanuelwekesa]

wow.
quite amazing lamps. I almost thought they were paper Mache. despite the painstaking work, they have a reasonable price of 7-200 dollars.

[shanzaarshad]

Multan has so much to offer. I have such a beautiful memory of my childhood when my father was posted in multan.he used to bring beautiful multani gotta walay dupatay( scarf), lamp we still have it, sohan halwa n mangoes in summer. Seriously south is so blessed. All my mother's wedding dresses were from multan. I still have it.

[Rudra]

The subcontinent has so much to offer. More power to the art and the artists.

[ayeshaarshad]

i'm going to Multan at the end of this month, i will love to have one

[hugouribe]

Wow that’s a beautiful thing! All of it! The father son work relationship. And then the amount of work it takes to end up with such a beautiful product. Great work gentlemen. I thought the kids/younger generation in the USA were lazy and don’t want to work! I now see it’s all over the world, that’s a big problem. May God bless us all!!!

[IlyasKhanKP]

I studied in my school books, named"Handicraft of Pakistan" in 2008. I intended to visit Multan specially for Lamps. But it took about 13 years for me. And finally visited in june 2022. The strange thing was that my friend Muhammad Jhangir didn't knew about it, and he is living there about 4 miles away from them. I would like to thank Business Insider for thier incredible work, bcz they're the first who highlights this art. And my friend become a source of it.

[priyankaramesh]

Amazing work!!!...wish i would buy one, it's good to hear that atleast some of the families are keeping this art alive, at the same time it's sad to hear that this amazing art 🎨 is not known much to people and decline in the interest among the youth is saddening...lots of love and respect to Pak from India 🇮🇳

[TheSirKillerlot]

respect for the craftsmen ! good old hand fashion work is priceless to bad that many old crafts are dying out, its a shame we can learn so much of it

[jamiehuff]

as someone who loves foreign culture like myself I would love to learn something cultural as this 🥰🌹♥️