The famous blue glass of Herat is a production of a secret technique, handed from father to son for generations since the era of Timurid in 15th century. Currently there is only one family in Herat that produces the glass—the Hamidys. A decade ago, an elder Hamidy explained the ‘secret’ behind the glass to Christina Lamb, a correspondent for the Sunday Times: “Each glass is individually made, we used to say a line of poetry for each one so that it would have its own soul.”
Herat, Afghanistan, 2008