Jamdani

Traditional Art of Jamdani Weaving
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Jamdani Self Weaving
Country	Bangladesh
Domains	Traditional craftsmanship
Region
Inscription history
Inscription	2013 (8th session)

Jamdani (Bengali: জামদানি) is one of the finest muslin textiles of Bengal, produced in Dhaka District, Bangladesh for centuries. The historic production of jamdani was patronized by imperial warrants of the Mughal emperors. Under British colonialism, the Bengali jamdani and muslin industries rapidly declined due to colonial import policies favoring industrially manufactured textiles. In more recent years, the production of jamdani has witnessed a revival in Bangladesh.

The traditional art of weaving jamdani has been declared by UNESCO as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Jamdani was originally known as Dhakai named after the city of Dhaka, one of many ancient textile weaving centers in Bengal region. Under the Mughal Empire the Persian term Jamdani came to be in popular use, since it was the court language of the Mughals. The term Jamdani is Persian deriving from 'Jam', meaning flower, and 'Dani', a vase or a container, named after decorative floral patterns found on Dhakai textile. Jamdanis are popularly known as Dhakai Jamdani or simply Dhakai. The earliest mention of jamdani and its development as an industry is found into Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The origin of the Jamdani is shrouded in mystery. The word Jamdani is of Persian origin; Jam meaning flower and Dani meaning a vase. The earliest mention of origin of Jamdani and its development as an industry is found in Kautilya's Arthashastra (book of economics, about 3rd century BC), where it is stated that this fine cloth was used in Bangla and Pundra. Its mention is also found in the book of Periplus of the Eritean Sea and in the accounts of Arab, Chinese and Italian travelers and traders.