Islamabad — On 9 December 2025 UNESCO officially inscribed the Boreendo on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding following a nomination by the Sindh Government and coordinated support from the National Heritage and Culture Division and Lok Virsa.
The Boreendo is a small, round clay wind instrument with a soft, earthy tone long associated with winter gatherings, communal celebrations and village rituals across Sindh. Scholars and local custodians link the Boreendo to the musical traditions of the Indus Valley Civilization, with communities believing the instrument to be over 5,000 years old.
Today the living tradition of the Boreendo depends on the skills of just two masters: the musician Ustaad Faqeer Zulfiqar and the craftsman Allah Jurio. Their expertise preserves playing techniques and making methods that reflect a cultural memory shaped by spirituality, careful craftsmanship and the everyday rhythms of Sindh’s ancestral communities.
UNESCO’s inscription supports a national safeguarding plan that emphasises training young artisans, introducing Boreendo music into both formal and informal education settings and creating sustainable economic opportunities for the coastal community of Keti Mir Muhammad Lund. The programme aims to revive the craft, pass on fingering and breath control techniques, and ensure that Boreendo makers and players can earn livelihoods from their skills.
The instrument’s simple clay design, often shaped, tuned and decorated by village women, is widely seen as a symbol of resilience, sustainability and local identity. With UNESCO recognition, Pakistani cultural custodians and community members hope the gentle breath of the Boreendo will continue to carry the stories of Sindh to new generations and wider audiences.
