Traditional Crafts & Urban Heritage in Old Kashmir Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life, cultural traditions, and historical landmarks in Kashmir from the early twentieth century to the mid-1950s. The pictures include women spinning wool on traditional wooden charkhas in a domestic setting in 1903; an aerial view of Srinagar in the early 1950s with vast agricultural fields and open spaces in areas like Rajbagh and Nishat; a young Kashmiri girl wearing handcrafted silver jewelry in traditional attire; the Chattabal weir on the River Jhelum as an important water control structure; the old Fateh Kadal wooden bridge over the Jhelum River with dense riverfront houses and the Shah Hamdan Mosque visible; and a portrait of respected Sufiana musician Ustad Ghulam Muhammad Qaleenbaft. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This rare photograph from 1903 shows Kashmiri women engaged in the traditional practice of spinning wool using hand-operated wooden charkhas. Wool spinning was a fundamental domestic activity in Kashmir, carried out largely by women as part of household and community-based production systems. The yarn produced through this labor was essential for weaving shawls, blankets, and other woollen goods central to Kashmiri life and economy. The image preserves valuable details of traditional tools, clothing, posture, and work environments, offering an authentic visual record of women’s contribution, discipline, and skill in sustaining Kashmir’s textile traditions during the early twentieth century.

This photograph from the early 1950s presents a wide aerial view of Srinagar, capturing a landscape still dominated by agricultural fields, open spaces, and scattered habitation. Large stretches of land visible in areas such as Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Padshahi Bagh, and Nishat appear largely undeveloped, reflecting a period before rapid urban expansion transformed the city. The image documents the spatial character of Srinagar when farming, water channels, and floodplains played a central role in shaping settlement patterns. As a historical record, it highlights the contrast between mid-twentieth-century Srinagar and the densely built urban environment that emerged in later decades due to population growth and land conversion.

This historical photograph shows a Kashmiri girl wearing traditional attire richly adorned with handcrafted silver ornaments, once an integral part of Kashmiri cultural and social identity. Such ornaments were commonly worn during everyday life, festivals, and ceremonial occasions, reflecting regional craftsmanship, family heritage, and social customs. The detailed jewelry visible in the image represents the work of skilled local silversmiths, whose craft played an important role in Kashmir’s artisanal economy. Over time, many of these traditional ornaments fell out of regular use due to changing lifestyles and modernization, with only a few artisans continuing the practice. The photograph preserves an important visual record of traditional dress, ornamentation, and cultural expression in Kashmir’s past.

This early twentieth century image shows the weir at Chattabal on the Jhelum River in Srinagar, a key hydraulic structure built to regulate river flow and maintain water levels across the city’s canal system. Constructed in the early decades of the twentieth century, the Chattabal weir played a crucial role in sustaining navigability and ensuring adequate water supply to tributary canals such as Tsunti Kul, Mar Kul, Kut Kul, and Suner Kul. During periods of low discharge, the structure was capable of raising the river level significantly to support irrigation and transport. Beyond its engineering importance, the surrounding area was also known as a public leisure space, reflecting how water infrastructure was closely integrated into the social and urban life of Srinagar during this period.

This photograph captures the old Fateh Kadal bridge in Srinagar during its final years before collapse in 1988. The bridge site holds deep historical significance, as an earlier structure at this location was originally commissioned by Sultan Fateh Shah in the sixteenth century and later rebuilt as a wooden cantilever bridge during the Afghan period under Ata Mohammad Khan. The image also records the dense riverfront settlement characteristic of Srinagar, with closely packed wooden houses lining the banks of the Jhelum. Visible in the background is the Shah Hamdan Mosque on the right bank, along with the Kohi Maran hill crowned by Afghan-era construction. The photograph serves as an important visual document of Srinagar’s historic urban fabric, river-based transport routes, and architectural continuity shortly before a major structural loss altered the city’s landscape.

This photograph shows Ustad Ghulam Muhammad Qaleenbaft, one of the most respected figures in the tradition of Kashmiri Sufiana music. Born in 1909 and passing away in 1994, he belonged to an elite lineage of classical vocalists trained in the disciplined oral traditions of Sufiana Kalam. He received early musical training from Sultan Joo and later from Khala Khalij Joo, masters of their time. Qaleenbaft was widely admired for maintaining the purity of melodic flow and devotional depth in his singing. Beyond performance, he played a vital role as a teacher, imparting Sufiana music to students at Amira Kadal High School and later at the State Cultural Academy, ensuring the transmission of this spiritual musical heritage to future generations.