The textile arts of Bangladesh comprise a range of handloom, weaving and embroidery traditions that developed within the wider textile culture of Bengal. Among the best-known are Dhaka muslin, Jamdani, Tangail sari weaving, Rajshahi silk, Nakshi kantha embroidery and the handloom traditions of the Manipuri community.

The traditional art of Jamdani weaving was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, and the traditional sari-weaving art of Tangail was inscribed in 2025.

Historical background

Cotton and silk textiles were important products of Bengal for centuries. Ancient and medieval accounts describe fine cotton fabrics from the region, while the textile centres around Dhaka and Sonargaon became particularly associated with extremely fine cotton cloth. Dhaka muslin achieved its greatest prominence under Mughal patronage, when fine textiles produced around Dhaka were supplied to imperial and aristocratic households and traded to markets across Asia and Europe.

European trading companies expanded their involvement in Bengal's textile trade during the seventeenth century. Dhaka muslin was purchased by Dutch, English, French and other merchants and became an important export commodity. The muslin industry subsequently declined during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Banglapedia attributes the decline to the loss of Mughal and aristocratic patronage, the consolidation of the East India Company's commercial power and competition from machine-manufactured British textiles following the Industrial Revolution.

Silk also formed part of Bengal's historic textile economy. Mulberry, eri and tussar silk were produced in Bengal, and raw silk and woven silk were important articles of international trade. After the Partition of India in 1947, most of the surviving mulberry-growing area that became part of East Pakistan was concentrated around Rajshahi, which remained an important centre of silk production. A government-sponsored silk factory at Rajshahi began operating in 1962.

Major traditions

Muslin

Dhaka muslin was a fine handwoven cotton textile historically produced in Dhaka and surrounding centres including Sonargaon, Dhamrai and parts of present-day Gazipur, Kishoreganj and Mymensingh. The finest varieties were made from locally grown cotton and were known for the fineness and transparency of their weave. Different grades of muslin were produced for courtly use, local consumption and international trade.

The historic industry largely disappeared during the nineteenth century, although related weaving traditions, particularly Jamdani, survived. Beginning in the 2010s, government and private initiatives attempted to revive Dhaka muslin by identifying cotton associated with the historic fabric and reproducing very fine yarn and cloth.

Jamdani

Jamdani is a patterned, traditionally handwoven cotton textile closely associated with Dhaka and the surrounding areas of present-day Narayanganj District. It belongs to the broader tradition of fine Bengal cotton weaving and is distinguished by ornamental motifs created during the weaving process.

Two weavers traditionally work side by side at the loom to create the supplementary-weft designs. Common motifs include geometric forms and stylised flowers, leaves, birds and other natural forms. UNESCO describes Jamdani as a vividly patterned, sheer cotton fabric woven by craftspeople and apprentices around Dhaka, with skills passed particularly through families. UNESCO inscribed the traditional art of Jamdani weaving on its Representative List in 2013.

Tangail sari weaving

The Tangail sari is a handwoven textile tradition centred on Tangail District. Traditional Tangail saris are produced from cotton, silk or jute yarn and are known for fine textures, detailed designs and local motifs. UNESCO identifies the tradition particularly with the Basak and Jhola weaving communities, in which weaving knowledge is transmitted informally within families.

Traditional production involves several stages, including yarn preparation, dyeing, starching, designing and weaving. Men commonly carry out much of the main loom work and yarn dyeing, while women and other family members participate in thread preparation and finishing. The traditional sari-weaving art of Tangail was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2025.

Rajshahi silk

Rajshahi silk is associated with the long history of sericulture and silk weaving in the Rajshahi region. Bengal historically produced mulberry, eri and tussar silk, while Rajshahi became the principal silk-producing area within East Pakistan after 1947. Silk yarn is prepared from silkworm cocoons and subsequently dyed, woven and printed in rural workshops and mechanised factories.

Silk textiles, particularly saris, have also had a cultural role as ceremonial and formal clothing in Bengali society.

Nakshi kantha

Nakshi kantha is a traditional embroidered quilt and textile art made from layers of cloth joined and decorated with stitching. It is produced in many parts of Bangladesh, with the traditions of Rajshahi, Jessore and Faridpur particularly noted for their embroidery and pictorial designs.

Traditionally, women created the designs freehand, often reusing old cloth and thread drawn from sari borders. Common motifs include flowers, trees, birds, fish, animals, human figures and geometric or symbolic patterns. Nakshi kantha embroidery is now also used on household articles, bags and garments and is produced commercially by handicraft organisations as well as individual artisans.

Manipuri weaving

Handloom weaving is an important cultural practice among the Manipuri people of northeastern Bangladesh, particularly in Kamalganj and Sreemangal in Moulvibazar District and in parts of Sylhet. Traditional products include saris, shawls, scarves, bedcovers and other woven garments and household textiles.

Weaving is commonly carried out by women within households and forms both part of Manipuri cultural identity and a source of family income. The tradition remains active in Moulvibazar and Sylhet, although artisans have reported pressure from declining earnings, rising production costs and competition from imitation products.

Handloom sector and preservation

Traditional textile arts form part of Bangladesh's wider handloom sector. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' 2018 Handloom Census recorded 116,006 handloom units, down from 183,512 in 2003. Employment in the sector was reported at 301,157 people in 2018.

Figures from the 2018 census have also been reported as showing about 290,282 handlooms in more than 100,000 units, producing approximately 474.74 million metres of fabric annually and supplying about 28 percent of Bangladesh's clothing needs.

The census documented a long-term decline in handloom units and employment, associated with mechanisation, shortages of labour and financial and marketing difficulties. Similar pressures have continued in some major craft centres. In Tangail, recent reporting has described declining numbers of practising handloom weavers as artisans face rising yarn and dye costs, low returns and competition from machine-made textiles.

At the same time, heritage recognition and revival programmes have increased public attention to traditional weaving. Jamdani and Tangail sari weaving are both included on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, while initiatives to revive Dhaka muslin have sought to recover materials and techniques associated with the historic textile.

See also Clothing in Bangladesh Textile industry in Bangladesh Bangladesh Handloom Board History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent

References