Female engravers in Kabul complain about the lack of a job market in this city. They state that in the past, there was a higher demand and sales for their handmade products, but now, it is rare for anyone to come to purchase their works. They add that this decline has caused many engravers to close their workshops, leaving female engravers unemployed. According to them, economic challenges, public unawareness, and a lack of sufficient support have put the art of engraving at risk of being forgotten.
Some of these engravers, in an interview with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, are calling for support and investment in the art of engraving to resume their activities. They emphasize that if this art is not supported, one of the oldest handicrafts of Afghanistan will disappear.
The Zarafat Engraving Workshop, located in the heart of the bustling Pul-e-Surkh market in Kabul, once hosted dozens of girls who had been deprived of education; however, it has now closed its doors due to the lack of a sales market and the neglect of handicrafts.
Khatima Hussaini, the head of this workshop, who learned Nuristani engraving five years ago with great difficulty, has now set aside her file and hammer and turned to another profession. She says that despite economic challenges, lack of support, and a shortage of markets, she was able to keep her workshop active for more than four years.
Ms. Hussaini adds, “The current market for Nuristani engraving is collapsing. People have become economically weakened and cannot afford to buy. The best market for Nuristani engraving products is foreign markets because people there are interested in handmade works and value handicrafts.”
Khatima Hussaini says that even though the trainees in her workshop had a special interest in the art of engraving, the lack of support, investment, a sales market, and raw materials forced them to halt the workshop’s activities.
Ms. Hussaini explains, “There is a lot of interest among the youth. Those who came to me would learn an art. Many of those who visited our works wanted to learn engraving, which is a very fascinating art. But the conditions are difficult; there is no suitable place to teach this art. In the past, juniper and walnut wood were easily found, but after it was restricted, we could hardly find them, and their price was also high.”
In Ms. Hussaini’s small workshop, trays, fruit bowls, lamps, photo frames, clocks, pen holders, and other decorative items were made, which now remain abandoned in a corner of this artist’s house due to the lack of a market. These are works on which Khatima spent long hours of effort, and at times her hands were injured with the hammer.
Asila is one of the last trainees of this workshop who turned to painting after it closed. According to Asila, Khatima’s small workshop had become a refuge for learning, creativity, and reviving hope at a time when girls and women had been deprived of many activities.
Asila says, “I worked in the engraving section for about six months. I had considered engraving as a source of income, but now that the workshop is closed, I am very disappointed, because I can no longer earn a livelihood through this way or any other way. I am truly saddened by the closure of the workshop and the halt of engraving work.
After that, I turned to the art of painting. Although there is not much financial advancement in the field of art, I was able to use my engraving experience to complete my paintings, and I am happy about that.
I hoped to advance in the art of engraving and introduce innovation, but now that I do not have such an opportunity, I feel sadness and discouragement.”
Nasima, another female engraver who has been engaged in Nuristani engraving for the past two years, says that her handmade works remain unsold for months. She adds that she has learned this art despite numerous challenges, both in the work itself and in the society of Afghanistan, and if it is not supported, it will soon disappear.
This woman says, “The first time I worked on a plaque for Women’s Day, it gave me a very good feeling. From that moment, I decided to continue this art. But this work is not easy; it does not have a good market, engraving does not generate much income, and during the work, one’s hands are injured by tools. Despite all of this, I do not want to forget an art I learned through great hardship, but when there is no job market, what can I do?”
This engraver calls for support for the art of engraving in Afghanistan and considers it a suitable art for women due to the delicacy and precision it requires.
Meanwhile, several cultural experts are calling for the establishment of engraving departments in the fine arts faculties in all provinces and in the capital to support this art in the country. They say that if artists and their handmade productions are not supported, this indigenous art will be at risk of being forgotten. According to them, engraving is not only part of the country’s cultural heritage but can also create employment opportunities for women and youth.
Ketabkhan Faizi, a cultural expert, says, “Nuristani engraving has a very long history in our country. If we look at the Neolithic periods in the Wakhan and Badakhshan regions and the carvings of mountain goats and deer, we can trace the origins of this art to that time. In later historical periods, especially during the time of the Kushans, numerous inscriptions have been discovered in various parts of Afghanistan; for example, the Surkh Kotal, Hadda, Darunta, and Kandahar inscriptions, on which decrees and commands were engraved on stone.”
According to him, engraving is still practiced in parts of eastern Afghanistan, such as Nuristan and Herat, but in recent years it has lost its prosperity due to the lack of effective marketing methods.
Faizi adds, “However, the Ferozkoh Institute, by training a large number of students, has played an important role in keeping this art alive. Educational courses must be created to keep this art alive so that the youth of the country can prevent it from being forgotten by learning it.”
Scroll saw design, sculpture, stone carving, engraving on decorative stones, engraving on walnut, mulberry, and plane tree wood, and ring engraving, which plays a prominent role in the beautification and practical application of certain mentioned items, is among the main branches of the art of engraving.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
