ISLAMABAD: Right next to the Pan Corner in Jinnah Super market of Islamabad, there stands an old man who is definitely not from around these parts. Abdul Ghaffar proudly displays his table full of treasures new and old. Ghaffar has sold traditional jewellery from this corner stall for nearly 26 years.
His face is familiar to market regulars; the wrinkles of age on his wizened face read like a map.
Another map, one that tells the story of his wares, spreads out on the stall next to him. Its story follows one of the oldest and famous trade routes of all the ancient Silk Road.
The Silk Road connected Turkmenistan to areas that are now Pakistan, through Afghanistan and from there, Persia. Most things at this stall have travelled along this same route.
In the middle of the table, a large raw amethyst sits in all its regal glory, the edges of the purple gemstone glinting in the sun.
According to the compelling storytelling of Ghaffar, this piece has been imported from Brazil and at Rs15,000, is the most expensive item at the stall.
On the table, this artefact is surrounded by dozens of silver anklets with tiny bells and antique torque necklaces of mixed metal, such as the ones worn by people from the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Along with them are traditional Turkmen bracelets and cuffs embellished with rough cut semiprecious stones. Some ever have images of animals carved into them.
There are also dramatically large rings with stones and intricate inscriptions and carvings made by the Kochi people of Balochistan, charming golden and copper oil lamps and blue crystal ‘evil eyes’ from Turkey.
Along one side of the table is a large variety of beads from Iran. The hues range from the pale whites of bone and pearl to the more vibrant turquoise, amber and carnelian. There is even a traditional domed cap worn by Turkmen brides with colourful embroidery and shells sewn into it.
Ghaffar’s own story also begins in Central Asia. His ancestors were Turkmen and lived on the banks of the Amu Darya, a river in Turkmenistan. It was there that his father and grandfather were born.
Economic hardship forced his family out of their native land and they eventually settled near Kandahar in Afghanistan, where Ghaffar grew up.
“Life was good. There was plenty for us to eat, and our animals were well-fed. But that was before the Russians came,” he said.
The invading Soviet soldiers were “like savages”, destroying everything in sight. “They burnt our house and even killed our animals. What kind of a man kills innocent creatures,” he said.
Internews
