Hunza embroidery is the fine, brightly coloured geometric needlework of Hunza's women, worked mostly in cross-stitch and seen at its best on the embroidered caps they wear under their chadors. Today the same work goes onto bags, purses, belts, cushion covers, shawls and clothes, and the best place to buy it is Karimabad, where shops linked to women's craft programmes sell it alongside the ordinary bazaar.
This guide explains the styles, the organisations behind the trade, the other handicrafts made in the valley, and how to buy well.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Geometric embroidery, mainly cross-stitch, in silk or cotton thread |
| Signature item | The embroidered women's cap |
| Where to buy | Karimabad bazaar, Altit, Aliabad |
| Main organisation | KADO, the Karakoram Area Development Organization |
| Other crafts | Sharma goat-hair rugs, woodwork, woollens |
| Bargaining | Little at enterprise shops; some in the bazaar |
What is Hunza embroidery?
Embroidery has been a household skill in Hunza for generations, passed from mother to daughter. Its signature is the women's cap, a small round cap covered in dense geometric patterns in red, green, gold and blue, worn under a long chador or dupatta. The same patterns appear on the collars and cuffs of traditional dresses.
Writing in Pamir Times, the Ishkoman embroidery artist Zaib R. Mir described the main styles found across Gilgit-Baltistan:
- Iraghi, the finest, worked in silk thread on cotton cloth in cross-stitch. This is what most people mean by Hunza embroidery.
- Charsuti or doosuti, done with thick woollen thread on loosely woven cloth, quicker to make and bolder to look at.
- Qalmi, in which designs are traced onto white cotton and embroidered, usually on pillow covers and handkerchiefs.
- Zardozi, in silver or gold thread, which she described as almost extinct in the region.
Who makes it, and where does the money go?
Much of the embroidery for sale in Hunza is produced through KADO, the Karakoram Area Development Organization, a Hunza-based non-profit. According to its own account in Pamir Times, KADO turned embroidery from a household skill into an income for more than 3,000 women across the valley, and the range grew from three or four products to several hundred.
Its embroidery brand, Thread Net Hunza, was set up with support from the Aga Khan Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In 2016 it launched a collection in Karimabad of shawls, shoulder wraps, bags and embroidered shalwar kameez, designed with young designers from Lahore's National College of Arts and based on Hunza patterns from around half a century earlier.
Buying from an outlet connected to programmes like this is a reasonable way to know the work is local and that the maker is paid. Ordinary bazaar shops selling embroidery also support local families, so there is no need to avoid them; just look closely at what you are buying.
What other handicrafts are made in Hunza?
Sharma rugs
Sharma is a traditional Hunza rug woven from goat hair. In November 2025 Geo News reported on the Hunarkun Foundation in Hunza, where artisans with disabilities, including a blind craftsman who spins the yarn, keep the craft going alongside hand embroidery, linked to KADO's rehabilitation work. The report said pieces sell for thousands of rupees, and large ones for far more. They are heavy, but a small sharma folds into a bag.
Woodwork by Hunza's women carpenters
Hunza has one of the few groups of women carpenters in Pakistan. Ciqam, a women's enterprise whose name means wellbeing or prosperity in Burushaski, began in 2003 under an Aga Khan Cultural Service programme, and its carpenters worked on the restoration of Altit Fort, which won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage award in 2011. Women from Altit now help run the fort and the café in the orchard below it. In 2025 Arab News reported that a Karimabad carpentry workshop founded in 2008 by Bibi Amina had 22 employees, had trained around 100 women and was taking commissions from luxury hotels.
For a visitor that means carved boxes and small wooden pieces are worth asking about, and larger work is a commission. Our Altit Fort guide covers the fort and its garden.
Woollens and caps
Handwoven woollen cloth, knitted socks and gloves, and caps are sold across Karimabad, and are useful if you are heading up to Khunjerab. Our guide to what to buy in Gilgit-Baltistan covers woollens, dry fruit and gemstones in more detail.
How can you tell hand embroidery from machine work?
Machine-embroidered "Hunza style" caps and bags do turn up, especially in shops that also sell goods from down country. A few checks help:
- Turn it over. Hand cross-stitch shows small, slightly irregular stitches and thread ends on the back. Machine work has an even bobbin thread running underneath.
- Look at the corners of the pattern. Hand-counted designs have tiny variations from one repeat to the next.
- Feel the thread. Silk thread has a soft sheen; cheap synthetic thread looks glassy.
- Ask who made it. Sellers of local work usually know which village a piece came from.
Where should you buy, and what should you pay?
Karimabad has the most choice, in shops along the main bazaar road and the lanes towards Baltit Fort. Our guide to shopping in Karimabad covers the bazaar, and the Karimabad old town walk takes you past it. Altit is a short drive away and combines naturally with the fort. Aliabad, the valley's commercial centre, has general shops and has hosted artisan conferences for the region's craftspeople.
We could not find current published prices for Hunza embroidery, and they vary with size and the fineness of the work. Ask the price of the same kind of piece in two or three shops before buying. Enterprise outlets generally sell at fixed prices; in bazaar shops a polite request for a small discount is normal, but hard bargaining over a piece that took weeks to stitch is not.
Is Hunza embroidery worth buying?
Yes, if you want something small that is genuinely from the valley and made by hand. A cap, a purse or a cushion cover weighs almost nothing, costs far less than a gemstone, and carries no risk of being fake glass. It suits anyone touring the north, including on our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour, which spends time in Karimabad.
If you want something useful for the cold, buy woollens instead; if you want something for the house, ask about woodwork or a sharma rug. For other ways to spend time in the valley, see our experiences page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hunza embroidery called?
The finest style, silk cross-stitch on cotton, is known as Iraghi embroidery. Most people simply call it Hunza embroidery.
What is the Hunza cap?
A small round women's cap covered in geometric embroidery, worn under a chador or dupatta. It is the best-known piece of Hunza embroidery.
What is KADO?
The Karakoram Area Development Organization, a Hunza-based non-profit that helps women artisans sell their embroidery and other crafts, including through the Thread Net Hunza brand.
Where can I buy Hunza embroidery?
Karimabad has the widest choice, with more in Altit and Aliabad. Look for shops connected to women's craft enterprises if you want to be sure the work is local.
Can I bargain for Hunza embroidery?
Enterprise outlets usually have fixed prices. In bazaar shops, a small, polite discount is fine.
