Zarnaz – Baluch of Afghanistan Patterns

BALUCH OF AFGHANISTAN – BUNDLE OF 90 SEAMLESS, TILEABLE, EDITABLE PATTERN VECTOR FILES

“Zarnaz is a Baluch name for girls in Afghanistan.”

The Baluch live in southern Afghanistan near the borders with Iran and Pakistan. Their traditional home territory is known as Baluchistan which covers an area spanning across Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They also have a sizeable diaspora in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in Oman.

A feature of Baluchi women’s clothing is the embroidery, which once was largely hand worked. Baluchi caps are usually made of cotton with fine silk or cotton embroidery, using geometric and floral patterns. Tiny mirrors called shisha are also sometimes used.

These patterns include many of the following Baluchi elements: leaves and flowers, geometric shapes with right angles, rectangles and round mirrors.

The designs of the patterns are based on traditional Afghan embroideries which have been simplified and modernised. I have also added a range of different colour palettes to make them more versatile and widely accessible, keeping current tastes in mind. By making these time-honoured styles more usable and practical for use by new generations of designers worldwide, it is my hope that I can in a small way help create a bridge between East and West.

ETHNIC GROUPS OF AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is a multiethnic society, consisting of a number of ethnic groups or tribes, which have collectively resided in the region for hundreds of years. They each have their own culture and specific ways of living, defined by unwritten codes and customs, and this is often reflected in their traditional embroidery.

EMBROIDERY

Embroidery in Afghanistan is done by women and young girls who create exquisite work to express themselves. They communicate visual stories to their close relations, from mother to daughter and tribe to tribe and maybe even to the wider world, thus ensuring the survival of their handed down traditions. Embroidery is also used to celebrate festive occasions.

The women equally embroider for their values and their love for their husbands and children and the embroideries serve to decorate fabrics used for curtains, cushions, dresses and shawls amongst others.

They are works of beauty and love, sparkling with motifs and patterns representing the sun, the moon, fruits, animals, landscapes, stars, flowers and petals, colours and exotic trees and flowers.