Awards & Achievements
A Record of Recognition
Honours awarded to the Kashigar family across generations — from international architecture awards to media recognition.
The Family's Greatest Honour
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
1984
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Restoration, Reproduction & Extension of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam Mausoleum, Multan
Awarded to Ustad Allah Diwaya — father of Ustad Muhammad Wajid Kashigar — for the family team's contribution to the restoration of one of South Asia's most significant medieval monuments.
The Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam Mausoleum, built between 1320 and 1324 AD, is considered among the finest examples of Tughluq architecture in the subcontinent. The restoration project in 1985 required the painstaking reproduction of authentic Kashikari tile-work using traditional red clay — work that only the Kashigar family could produce.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, established in 1977, is one of the world's most prestigious recognitions of excellence in the built environment, with particular emphasis on projects that serve Muslim communities and heritage.
Award
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Year
1984
Recipient
Ustad Allah Diwaya
Project
Restoration, Reproduction & Extension of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam Mausoleum
Location
Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Project Date
1985 Restoration & Extension
Family Contribution
Young Muhammad Wajid (then ~21) worked alongside his father on this landmark restoration.
Timeline
Milestones & Recognition
Thaheem Ansari Family Begins the Craft
The family tradition of Kashikari begins in Multan. The exact generation is not recorded, but oral history traces the craft back over 300 years.
Ustad Allah Diwaya Rises to Mastery
Father of Muhammad Wajid. Trains all seven sons in the craft. Leads the family workshop to regional prominence.
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Ustad Allah Diwaya receives one of the world's most prestigious architecture awards for the Restoration, Reproduction & Extension of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam Mausoleum, Multan.
Restoration, Reproduction & Extension Complete
The landmark project is completed. Muhammad Wajid contributes alongside his father. The work cements the Kashigar family's standing as Multan's foremost Kashikari craftsmen.
Hazrat Musa Pak Shaheed Tomb Restoration
Father and son work together on the restoration of another significant Multani shrine.
Featured in Dawn Newspaper
"Lone artisan sees Kashigari a dying art" — Muhammad Wajid speaks about the challenges facing authentic Kashikari.
Featured in Dawn — Non-Fiction
"Legacies in Clay" — the Kashigar family's multi-generational story is documented in a major feature.
Ubaid Wajid Kashigar — 7th Generation
Wajid's son Ubaid becomes active in the craft and its documentation. Featured by @open_studios_pakistan in conversation about the process and generational learning.
Institutional Recognition
Named in Pakistan's Craft Heritage
The Thaheem family Kashigars — including Ustad Khuda Bakhsh and Ustad Muhammad Wajid — are named in Pakistan's national craft heritage documentation, the WCC-Asia Pacific Encyclopaedia of Crafts, and multiple academic records of South Asian decorative arts.