US Hands Over Ancient Sarcophagus Fragments to Lebanon

The rhythmic hammering of nails and the whine of saws fill Ibrahim Hyderi, a centuries-old maritime town on the outskirts of Karachi. Small figures of men work atop massive wooden fishing hulls beneath the pale summer sky.

The neighborhood is known for building traditional fishing boats, a craft that has survived the rise of industrial shipyards. “This is the area that gave birth to Karachi, and that provided Karachi with its fishing sector,” said Mehran Ali Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, which advocates for the local community.

“

This is the area that gave birth to Karachi, and that provided Karachi with its fishing sector.

Boat builder Muhammad Asif, 22, learned the trade from his father as a teenager and now works independently. “I was drawn to this work, so I work at it with great dedication,” he said. “It has always been my passion, that is why I chose this line of work.” Asif starts at 7 a.m. and works until dinner, taking only a two-hour lunch break. He earns up to 2,500 Pakistani rupees, or about $9, a day, six days a week.

“

I was drawn to this work, so I work at it with great dedication. It has always been my passion, that is why I chose this line of work.

The boats are built block by block and nail by nail. Craftsmen use local eucalyptus or African teak, cutting heavy timber along hand-drawn pencil marks before assembling the hull from the ground up. Even a small boat several meters long can take up to three months and cost 1 million Pakistani rupees, Asif said.

Painter Muhammad Ismail adds floral designs to the finished vessels. After more than a decade in the trade, he says he feels “great satisfaction” when owners appreciate his work. Nearby, fisherman Qadir Bux repairs nets in a family boat that has been in use for at least two decades and hopes to restore it soon.

“

Great satisfaction