Khajistan is rescuing and digitizing overlooked histories from the Middle World.
Publications by Khajistan Press
Bookshop
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1942 The Life of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Arabic) – United States
Price on Request -
5 Issues of Arts International Magazine (1971-72, Pakistan)
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Eclipse (Urdu)
$63.00 -
Still Alive (1983, Urdu)
$148.00 -
Haunted Coffin (Urdu)
$128.00
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313 issues of Viewpoint Magazine (1984-89, English, Lahore)
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450 Issues of Keyhan Verzishi Magazine (1953-1979, Iran)
Price on Request -
22 Issues of Mickey (1981, Arabic)
Price on Request -
We Draw Victory (1986, Iraq)
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164 Issues of Zan-e-Rooz Magazine (1967-1978, Iran)
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116 Issues of Bamshad Magazine (1956-1968, Iran)
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220 Urdu Erotica from Pakistan: Spanning Two Dictatorships 1970s-2000sSold out
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71 Issues of Akhbar-e-Jahan (Pre-1980, Karachi, Urdu)
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48 Issues of Hawaa (1958-79, Arabic)
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72 Issues of Weekly Al-Hilal (1912-1913, Urdu, British India)
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23 Issues of Eastern Film Magazine (1961-1972, Pakistan)Sold out
Sold out
Announcements + Archive Insights
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Read more: Khajistan Leads the Program at Pioneer Works’ Press Play 2025 Book Fair in Brooklyn
Khajistan Leads the Program at Pioneer Works’ Press Play 2025 Book Fair in Brooklyn
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
We’re bringing our latest project to Pioneer Works’ Press Play fair on December 13–14, 2025: the launch of Smut of the Middle World Volume 1: Pakistan and the debut of the official Press Play tote.
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Read more: Karachi, After Midnight Vol. 1 Launch at Printed Matter, NYC
Karachi, After Midnight Vol. 1 Launch at Printed Matter, NYC
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
Karachi, after Midnight Vol. 1 Book launch and conversation December 4, 2025 6–8PM Join us at Printed Matter for the launch of Khajistan Press’ new...Read more -
Read more: Screening of Zinda Laash (1967) at Asia Society New York
Screening of Zinda Laash (1967) at Asia Society New York
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
Asia Society New York, in collaboration with Khajistan, presents a screening of Zinda Laash (1967) (The Living Corpse). The even...Read more -
Read more: Screening of Showgirls of Pakistan at Museum of the Moving Image
Screening of Showgirls of Pakistan at Museum of the Moving Image
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
Friday, Sep 26, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. Location: Redstone Theater Part of Open Worlds 2025 Screening and Q&A with filmmakers Saad ...Read more
Our Preservation Projects
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Read more: Khajistan Seeking Preservation and Digitization Partners for Historic Erotic Film Posters
Khajistan Seeking Preservation and Digitization Partners for Historic Erotic Film Posters
New York, NY — Khajistan is launching a preservation and digitization initiative for its collection of 200 original Turkish erotic film posters, on...Read more -
Read more: Khajistan Seeks Preservation Partner for 202 U.S. Propaganda Leaflets Dropped on Japan
Khajistan Seeks Preservation Partner for 202 U.S. Propaganda Leaflets Dropped on Japan
New York, NY — Khajistan has completed the full digitization of 202 American war propaganda leaflets dropped on Japan in 1944 and 1945....Read more -
Read more: Urgent Call to Digitize Khajistan’s 1,000+ Urdu Children’s Books
Urgent Call to Digitize Khajistan’s 1,000+ Urdu Children’s Books
New York, NY — Khajistan has assembled a large and vulnerable collection of Urdu children’s books and magazines that rarely survive in libraries. T...Read more -
Read more: Emergency Preservation of Pakistan’s Early 2000s Sexploitation Cinema
Emergency Preservation of Pakistan’s Early 2000s Sexploitation Cinema
Khajistan has acquired a vulnerable set of original 35mm reels containing five films from Pakistan’s early 2000s sexploitation cinema. Made during...Read more
Bazaar
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Chudai Tote
$28.00 -
Nice Tote
$28.00 -
Botom Teddy Bear
$60.00 -
Hi Dear Lunch Box
$55.00 -
Kabooty Graphic Sweatshirt
$65.00 -
5 Farsi/Urdu Pin Buttons
$32.00 -
Hashmi Surma (Kohl) LighterSold out
Sold out
Exhibition Catalog
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Khajistan Head (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
Price on Request -
Baraat Kissing (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
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Khajistan Traffic Jam (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
Price on Request -
Pussy Aunty Hand-Painted Tin Sign (1990s, Punjabi)
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Miss Fit Fart Handmade Tin Sign (1990s, Punjabi)
Price on Request -
Sher Dil (Lion Heart, 2015) – Framed Original Lollywood Film PosterSold out
Sold out
FAQs
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Khajistan is an independent archive founded by Lahore‑born filmmaker and preservationist Saad Khan. Its name derives from a 10th‑century mountain district near Herat, Afghanistan, recorded in Hudūd al-ʿĀlam (Boundaries of the World, 982 AD, p. 104), a rare Persian manuscript documenting people and places across the early Islamicate world. In that text, Khajistan is described as a “mountainous district with many fields and warlike inhabitants,” a name choice that also reflects Khan’s maternal connection to historic Khorasan. Today, Khajistan rescues and preserves print and audiovisual media from the last 150 years across the Greater Middle East, from the Indus to the Maghreb, the very lands Hudūd al‑ʿĀlam cataloged a millennium ago. It unites subcultural histories, silenced voices, and scattered ephemera once overlooked, suppressed, or erased by dictatorships, theocratic regimes, colonial and global powers, and Western archives, providing them a secure and enduring home.
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"Middle World" is a term coined by Afghan-American author Tamim Ansary in his book Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes. Ansary uses the term to refer to Islamic civilization’s historical heartland, which stretches from the Mediterranean to the Chinese worlds and is centered on the Middle East.
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Founder & Director: Saad Khan
Creative Director: Joey Chriqui
Operations: Shira Grife
Technologist: Amad AnsariKhajistan partners with collectors from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco, with archives housed and digitized in Quetta, Islamabad, Istanbul, and New York.
Contact:
For all communication:
📧 info@khajistan.comTo contact a specific team member, write to:
[first name]@khajistan.com -
Khajistan is an independent initiative based in New York City, dedicated to the acquisition, archiving, digitization, and publication of overlooked media from the Islamicate world.
Our mission is to safeguard censored, endangered, and neglected forms of knowledge from the Indus to the Maghreb, materials often obscured or lost amid rapidly shifting Western technologies.
Khajistan opens access to overlooked histories, digitizing censored and forgotten materials so communities can reclaim their pasts and reshape the narratives that define their present, in the physical and digital worlds.
For more insight into our philosophy and practice, read our Khajistan Manifesto
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Khajistan’s buyers and partners include the Library of Congress, Stanford Libraries, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Oxford, University of California, Berkeley, Penn Libraries (University of Pennsylvania), New York University, University of Washington, Lafayette College, Printed Matter, Inc. etc.
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Toshakhana: Historical periodicals and manuscripts from the Islamicate world. Explore Toshakhana
Bookshop: Early-midcentury books in Urdu, Pashto, Farsi, Sindhi, Turkish, Arabic, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi Punjabi, Seraiki and Hindi. Most books are published in local presses and themes include propaganda, local conspiracy theories, politics, religion, sex, poetry, art and society. Visit the Bookshop
Merchandise: Custom-made products that reflect the cultural and historical themes of our archives. Check out Merchandise
Digital Products: Digitized versions of our archived materials, including e-books, digital magazines, and other multimedia content, allowing you to access our collections from anywhere in the world. Explore Digital Products
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TOSHAKHANA is Khajistan Special Collections. The current Toshakhana is stocked with rare Persian and Urdu magazines from the region, Ottoman Turkish and Turkish erotica, Iraqi, Pakistani and American propaganda ephemera, Judaica from the Islamicate world, and historical film documents from Pakistan.
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For merchandise, our shipping times are between 5-8 business days, depending on your location and the items ordered. We make our products to order instead of in bulk to reduce overproduction. This approach helps minimize waste and keeps items out of landfills. Toshakhana and Bookshop orders are delivered within 1-2 weeks.
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You can support Khajistan by purchasing our collections, books, and merchandise, by investing, donating, or becoming a stockist for our published books. Your contribution directly funds our work in preserving and promoting overlooked media from the Islamicate world.
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Email us at info@khajistan.com.
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Please email us directly with your area of interest and any relevant experience. We are looking for the following support:
Interns: Assist in cataloging our extensive collection of physical materials in Islamabad, New York City, Istanbul and remotely.
Programmers: We are seeking skilled back-end and front-end developers to enhance our digital infrastructure.
Public Relations and Marketing: Help us spread awareness of our mission and work.
Writers and Editors: Write and edit for our Madrassa.
Film Archiving: Join us in scanning and archiving our selection of acquired "B" films from Pakistan.
Digitization Partners: Support us with digitization processes of our vast collections of physical materials:
Speaking Engagements: Invite us for guest lectures. You can request a call with with the founder here.
Buyers and Partners
