From the shawls of Kashmir to the temple-bordered saris of Tamil Nadu, South Asia weaves some of the richest cloth in the world. Here are fifteen traditions, most of them in silk.
Each illustration is drawn by Atlasana from the traditional designs. Real pieces vary from maker to maker, and every region has far more styles than we can show here.
Shawls of pashmina, the fine underfleece of Himalayan goats, spun and woven by hand. Kashmir shawls with paisley patterns, woven or embroidered, were prized across Asia and Europe in the 1700s and 1800s.
The name means flower work. Silk floss is darned through hand-spun cotton from the back, building dense geometric patterns that shine like gold. Traditionally made by women for weddings.
Block-printed cloth dyed with indigo and madder in a long resist process, with stars, circles and lattices. It is worn and given as a gift across Sindh, and also made across the border in Kutch.
Double ikat silk: both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving, so the pattern only appears as they meet on the loom. Only a few families still weave Patan patola, and one sari can take months.
Silk saris with tapestry-woven borders and end panels, famous for peacock and lotus motifs and for shot colors that change in the light.
Rich silk brocades woven with gold and silver zari thread. Their floral and paisley motifs show Mughal influence, and a Banarasi sari is a classic choice for weddings.
Light, sheer fabric of silk and cotton with small gold motifs called buti. Weaving in the town goes back centuries, and its cloth was long a favorite of royal households.
Tussar is a wild silk with a natural golden beige color and a slightly textured hand. Bhagalpur weaves so much of it that it is often called the Silk City.
Silk saris whose end panels show small framed scenes, often from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The craft began in Murshidabad and was revived in Bishnupur in the 1900s.
Fine cotton muslin with motifs woven in by hand, thread by thread, as the cloth grows on the loom. UNESCO lists the art of Jamdani weaving as intangible cultural heritage.
A wild silk found only in Assam, with a natural golden sheen that is said to grow richer with each wash. Sualkuchi, a weaving town on the Brahmaputra, is a center of Assam silk.
Ikat, known locally as bandha, in cotton and silk, with motifs such as the conch shell, the wheel and the flower. Every thread is tied and dyed before it goes on the loom.
Bold geometric ikat in silk and cotton. The diamonds and zigzags get their soft, feathered edges from dyeing the threads before weaving, and Pochampally is one of India's best known ikat villages.
Smooth, light silk crepe with a soft sheen, usually in solid jewel tones with a border of gold zari. The royal family of Mysore promoted the craft, and the government silk factory there still weaves it.
Heavy mulberry silk saris with wide borders in contrasting colors, sometimes woven separately and interlocked with the body. Temple towers, checks and mango motifs are classics.
Batik and woven cloth of Indonesia
Court batik from Yogyakarta and Solo, coastal batik from Cirebon and Pekalongan, and the ikat, songket and ulos of the outer islands.
Explore 15 textiles
Rugs of Türkiye, Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia
Silk Hereke, Persian city rugs from Tabriz to Kerman, bold Kazak medallions, Turkmen guls, suzani and Uzbek silk ikat.
Explore 16 rugs and weavings
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