Khamak (embroidery)

Khamak is a distinguished embroidery artwork from Kandahar. Embroidery is the usual practice for household textiles by women artisans in Afghanistan. Khamak consists of very complicated designs than other techniques. They use delicate silk satin stitches on fine woven cloths of cotton or wool fabrics.

Name

Khamak is also called Khamak dooze or Kandahari means ‘Kandahar’s work,’ Khamak is a word of Pashto language.

Khamak is one of the intricate embroidery forms consisting complex natural and geometric designs in repetitive or multiple patterns incorporating a combination of stitch patterns and techniques which demands high skill artisans. For women in Kandahar the embroidery is a natural skill. It is their traditional activity besides weaving and sewing.

The Kandahari is mainly used for decorating pashtun clothing, many linens such as pillow covers and tablecloths and scarves and shawls.