Hala, a small town in Matiari district about 62 km north of Hyderabad, is one of Sindh's best-known centres for traditional handicrafts: glazed Kashi tiles and pottery, lacquered woodwork called Jandi, and hand-woven Ajrak and Susi textiles. Its bazaar is the place to see artisans still working by hand and to buy directly rather than through a middleman in a bigger city.
This guide covers what's actually made in Hala, where to find the workshops, roughly what things cost, and the shrine that draws visitors here alongside the crafts.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hala, Matiari district, on the N-5 highway |
| From Hyderabad | About 62 km, under an hour by road |
| Known for | Kashi glazed tiles and pottery, Jandi lacquerwork, Ajrak and Susi textiles |
| Best for | Buying direct from workshops, seeing craft in progress |
| Also worth seeing | Shrine of Makhdoom Nooh (1500–1590) |
| Nearby | Bhit Shah, shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, about 5 km away |
Why Hala matters for Sindhi crafts
Hala and the nearby town of Nasarpur are the traditional home of Kashi Kari, the glazed-tile and pottery work that gives Sindh's shrines and mosques their blue and turquoise decoration. The word Kashi traces back to Kashan in Persia, where the technique originated before Persian potters carried it into the subcontinent. When Shah Jahan commissioned the tiled mosque at Thatta in the 17th century, the tiles covering its 93 domes were fired in Hala, which gives some sense of how long this has been the town's trade.
Kashi tiles and pottery
Kashi work is glazed earthenware, painted with cobalt blue, turquoise, mustard, purple, brown and white pigments in floral, paisley and geometric patterns before firing gives it a glassy finish. You'll find it as decorative tiles, plates, vases and smaller ornamental pieces in the workshops and shops around the bazaar. Prices vary hugely by size and detail, from small painted plates to large tile panels, so it's worth looking at a few workshops before buying rather than taking the first price offered.
Jandi: Hala's lacquered woodwork
Jandi is lacquer work on wood, traditionally used on furniture, boxes and household items made from timber grown along the Indus. The wood is turned and coated, decorative designs are painted on in bright colour, and the piece is then varnished with shellac to give it its characteristic shine. It's a slower, more visibly hand-made craft than the tile work, and workshops producing it are usually happy to show visitors the stages involved rather than just the finished pieces.
Ajrak and Susi textiles
Ajrak, the block-printed cotton shawl in deep reds, blacks and indigo blues, is one of the most recognisable symbols of Sindhi identity, used as everything from a headscarf to a wedding gift to a shroud. Susi, a hand-woven striped cotton fabric, and khaddar, a coarser handloom cloth, are also produced in and around Hala on traditional handlooms. As with the tiles, quality and price vary a great deal depending on whether a piece is hand-block-printed and hand-woven or machine-made, so ask directly at the shop if that distinction matters to you.
Visiting the bazaar and workshops
Hala's bazaar has three main entrances, or nakas, with the middle one leading to the main retail strip where most of the handicraft shops are concentrated. Workshops for tile-making and lacquerwork tend to be a short walk or drive from the main bazaar rather than inside it, so it's worth asking a shopkeeper to point you toward one if you want to see the process rather than just buy the result. Give yourself a couple of hours if you want to see workshops as well as shop, rather than treating it as a quick stop.
Buying fairly
- Compare a few shops before buying. Prices aren't fixed, and quality varies more than price alone suggests.
- Ask whether a piece is hand-made or machine-produced, particularly for textiles, since this is the main driver of both price and durability.
- Bargain politely, as is normal in any Pakistani bazaar, but recognise that genuinely hand-crafted pieces take real skill and time, and a fair price reflects that.
- Pack tiles and pottery carefully for the trip home; they're fragile and workshops don't always offer padded packaging unless you ask.
The shrine of Makhdoom Nooh
Hala has been a centre of the Suhrawardi Sufi order since the 16th century, and its most important religious site is the mausoleum of Makhdoom Lutufullah, known as Makhdoom Nooh (1500–1590), a scholar and saint of that order. The shrine draws a steady flow of visitors from the surrounding area and is worth combining with a handicraft visit if you have the time, since both sit within the same small town.
Combining Hala with Bhit Shah
The shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai at Bhit Shah is about 5 km from Hala, close enough to combine both in a single half-day out from Hyderabad. See our Bhit Shah guide for what to expect there, and our guide to places to visit in Hyderabad and central Sindh for how Hala fits into a wider day out. Our trip planning page can help if you want the whole route put together for you.
Is Hala worth a special trip?
If you specifically want traditional Sindhi handicrafts, and would rather buy from the people making them than from a shop in Karachi or Hyderabad, yes, and it's an easy add-on to a Bhit Shah or Hyderabad day rather than requiring a trip of its own. If your interest in crafts is only passing, or you're pressed for time, you'll find a narrower but still genuine selection of Sindhi handicrafts in Hyderabad's markets without the extra hour on the road each way.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hala famous for?
Hala is known for Kashi glazed tiles and pottery, Jandi lacquered woodwork, and hand-woven Ajrak and Susi textiles, all traditional Sindhi crafts still made by hand in the town.
How far is Hala from Hyderabad?
About 62 km, on the N-5 national highway, normally under an hour by road.
Can I watch craftspeople actually making the tiles or textiles?
Yes, workshops around the bazaar generally allow visitors to see the process, though you may need to ask a shopkeeper to point you to one, since most are a short walk from the main retail strip.
Are prices fixed in Hala's handicraft bazaar?
No. Prices vary by size, detail and whether a piece is genuinely hand-made, so it's worth comparing a few shops and asking directly about how a piece was produced.
What else is there to see in Hala besides the handicrafts?
The mausoleum of Makhdoom Nooh, a 16th-century Sufi saint and scholar, is Hala's other main site, and the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai at Bhit Shah is only about 5 km away.
