These shawls are made by highly skilled Kashmiri artisans, who’ve been perfecting the art of shawl making since generations. The thin, yet extremely warm wool comes from the under-fur of an endangered antelope called Chiru (the Tibetan antelope). Shahtoosh, literally translated as the ‘king of wools’ in Persian, is the primary component of elaborately woven traditional shawls which are a product of a remarkable 600 year old industry.

One of the most popular and expensive products of this thriving industry are Shahtoosh shawls. These are reminders of the life and culture that has been preserved throughout war and conflict. Be it shawls, paper mache, products or wooden sculptures they all speak about the Kashmiri culture and lifestyle. Kashmir’s handicraft industry is known for a variety of products each boasting of meticulous intricacy in every design. The education and industry are in a continuous state of turmoil because of the war and daily recurrence of violence.However, despite the obstacles, there are several artifacts and industries which were able to survive the war, but not able to evade the environmental and wildlife conservation ban. The ongoing conflict between Indian and Pakistani military has rendered it as the least industrialised state of India and systematically marginalized a large population. Far north of India, lies one of the most politically and militarily turbulent state, Kashmir.

Wool dabro shawl