HISTORY OF CAMEL BONE CRAVING WORK

The ancient city of Pakistan, Multan is recognized all over the world due to its cultural eagerness, arts and handicrafts. In these handicrafts work on elephant tusks was having a special importance, and this ardour had been continuing for centuries. Because of the detention on elephant hunting, the procurement of elephant tusks became impossible.

On that occasion, this handicraft had to face crisis, but the skilled artisans did not cut off their spirits and on the strength of God blessed abilities, they introduced camel bones.

Using camel bone, the manufacturers of Multan, prepared countless articles. In these articles decoration pieces, decent and delicate jewellery for women are included and these manufacturers are demanded throughout the world.

Abdur Rasheed Qureshi is a superb artisan. His forefathers had been working on elephant tusks and on camel bones for centuries. His father Abdul Majeed Qureshi was also a talented and brilliant craftsman. Abdul Rasheed inherited this art his father. E used this craft according to the deal of modern time and with the hard work of day and night, developed this work to the climax. He also introduced his ancestral work all over the world.

       Camel is slaughtered in a prescribed Islamic way. Its meat is eaten, and different things are made manually from its bones, in these things collyrium containers, ball point pens, candle stands animals statues and jewellery are prepared.

       After pellucid the bone, it is drenched into the water for three or four days. Then the bone is cut with a special saw and made sound with on adze. After wards it is carved on portable frame in different shapes like sound, oval, goblet shape or any other shape which is demanded manufactured things are heated in water along with soda (Sodium Carbonate) until the blood and fat particles are fully removed. After drying these things, they are exposed to sunlight along with 3 parts by water and 1 part by hydrogen per oxide in a jar. Then the next process is of polishing these things. For this purpose, two methods are adopted.

1.                The things are subbed with any talcum powder.

2.                The things are threaded and buffed with a high fine mixture.

In this way the brightness is created in the things.

In this art of handicraft, saw, handle from, sod, gimlet of different sizes, and adze are used.