PESHAWAR: Wax arts-a century old craftsmanship is slowly fading away in Peshawar due to social media addiction and lack of patronage at official level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a modest home in Peshawar, nestled among dusty alleys that once echoed with the vibrancy of artisans and storytellers, 75-year-old Riaz Ali is surrounded by memories and masterpieces, while his grand sons scrolled mobiles.

For over six decades, he has practiced the delicate art of wax painting, a craft passed down through three generations of his family.

But today, the flickering flame of this once-thriving tradition is in danger of extinction due to neglect and lack of patronage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“I remember watching my grandfather create wax art before partition and later came to Peshawar,” Riaz recalled, his fingers gently tracing the faded edge of a 600-year-old peacock design hanging by his window.

In those days, they used sifted mud and silver foil. Now, they use natural colours which are softer to the eyes and more elegant.

Riaz, who belongs to a family of artisans rooted in what was once known as Roghan art during the Mughal era, learned the skill from his father after the family migrated to Peshawar.

Over the decades, he painted everything from scarves and shirts to handkerchiefs and framed art. Each piece takes two days to complete and, once sun-dried, can last for years, even surviving a wash without losing colour.

Riazs contributions to the preservation of wax art have not gone unnoticed. A recipient of the President’s Medal of Excellence in 2012, he was also awarded the UNESCO-CCI Seal of Excellence in 2004 for his unique work, selected from entries submitted by artisans across 11 South Asian countries.

But despite international acclaim, Riaz has struggled to find local patronage. In the early 2000s, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government launched the Artisan Village project within Peshawar’s historic Gor Khatri Complex; a promising attempt to preserve the city’s endangered craft.

Riaz served as a master trainer there, mentoring two students. One dropped out after marriage and the other found employment elsewhere. The program’s second phase never received funding and with that a vital opportunity for skill transfer was gone.

Once a fixture in Peshawars Saddar area, Riaz’s workshop welcomed both locals and foreign tourists.

He worked at Lok Virsa for 27 years, becoming a regular feature at the annual Lok Mela. This year, however, high stall fees prevented him from participating.

“My hands tremble now. I get tired quickly. I had only a few pieces to exhibit, but could not afford the stall,” Riaz said with a sigh.

Despite health and financial challenges, he still receives orders enough to stay afloat, support his family and even educate and marry off his children.

His son, Fayyaz Ahmad, has taken up the family craft, now creating wax portraits that appeal to a modern audience.

Fayyaz said the Mughal era wax art will likely to fade away if KP Govt patronage was not ensured.

Peshawar, believed by many historians to mean City of Artisans or Skilled People, was once a cultural crossroads on the ancient Silk Road.

Its bazaars were famously named after trades copper smiths bazaar, Iron smiths bazaar, and even storytellers bazaar, Qissa Khwani. In such a city, craftsmanship was not a pastime but it was an identity.

Wax painting, believed to have been brought from Kabul and refined under Mughal patronage, found a home here.

Its intricate technique uses linseed oil, powdered pigments, and limestone mixed with wax extracted from heated flax seeds a slow and meditative process that resists industrial replication.

But without government intervention and societal recognition, the craft now teeters on the brink.

For Riaz, the solution is simple ie education, exposure, and opportunity

Though aging, Riaz is not bitter. People only grow old when they stop working, he smiles. Everyone dies eventually, but those who quit their passion they die every day.

In a city that once celebrated its artisans, Riaz Ahmed remains a solitary torchbearer of a dwindling heritage.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026