کوفتگری (Koftgari)
Koftgari is a technique of inlaying gold and silver wire into crosshatched steel to produce intricate decorative patterns on blades, armor, and metalwork. The steel surface is first roughened with a fine crosshatch of chisel cuts; gold or silver wire is then laid over the crosshatch and hammered in, the wire anchoring in the cuts. The technique reached its zenith in Mughal India as the primary decorative system for court weapons, daggers, swords, and shields. Once centered in Sialkot (now Pakistan) and practiced across North India's armory towns, Koftgari in India now survives in isolated workshops in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, practiced by a handful of aging masters.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not Listed
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