Khajistan is rescuing and digitizing overlooked histories from the Middle World.
Publications by Khajistan Press
Bookshop
-
1942 The Life of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Arabic) – United States
Price on Request -
5 Issues of Arts International Magazine (1971-72, Pakistan)
Price on Request -
Eclipse (Urdu)
$63.00 -
Ab Bhi Zinda Hain (1983, Urdu)
$148.00 -
Haunted Coffin (Urdu)
$128.00
-
313 issues of Viewpoint Magazine (1984-89, English, Lahore)
Price on Request -
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)
Price on Request -
164 Issues of Zan-e-Rooz Magazine (1967-1978, Iran)
Price on Request -
116 Issues of Bamshad Magazine (1956-1968, Iran)
Price on Request -
220 Urdu Erotica from Pakistan: Spanning Two Dictatorships 1970s-2000sSold out
Sold out -
71 Issues of Akhbar-e-Jahan (Pre-1980, Karachi, Urdu)
Price on Request -
48 Issues of Hawaa (1958-79, Arabic)
Price on Request -
72 Issues of Weekly Al-Hilal (1912-1913, Urdu, British India)
Price on Request -
23 Issues of Eastern Film Magazine (1961-1972, Pakistan)Sold out
Sold out
Announcements + Archive Insights
-
Read more: Khajistan Press Cancels Karachi Reading of Karachi After Midnight, Vol. 1
Khajistan Press Cancels Karachi Reading of Karachi After Midnight, Vol. 1
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
Karachi, Pakistan — Khajistan Press announces the cancellation of its scheduled reading of Karachi After Midnight, Vol. 1, which was set to take pl...Read more -
Read more: Khajistan Bazaar Comes to Bayt AlMamzar, Dubai
Khajistan Bazaar Comes to Bayt AlMamzar, Dubai
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
Dubai, UAE — Khajistan Madrasa presents Khajistan Bazaar, a one-day public gathering at Bayt AlMamzar on Sunday, January 25, from 3 to 7pm. The baz...Read more -
Read more: They Are Killing the Horse (1979): A Film They Tried to Bury
They Are Killing the Horse (1979): A Film They Tried to Bury
by Saad Khan
Title: They Are Killing the Horse (also circulated under the title Noori)Year: 1979Country: PakistanFormat: Black-and-white short film / docudramaD...Read more -
Read more: Khajistan Manifesto
Khajistan Manifesto
by Saad Khan
TLDR: Born in 9th-century Herat, Afghanistan, today Khajistan lives on as an archive founded by Saad Khan. Khajistan preserves art, words, ...Read more
Preservation Projects
-
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
-
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
Exhibition Catalog
-
Khajistan Head (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
Price on Request -
Baraat Kissing (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
Price on Request -
Khajistan Traffic Jam (2023, Pakistan) – Original Framed Painting
Price on Request -
Pussy Aunty Hand-Painted Tin Sign (1990s, Punjabi)
Price on Request -
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
-
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.
-
The "Islamicate world" refers to the vast, interconnected cultural, social, and intellectual sphere historically shaped by Islamic civilization, encompassing regions where Muslim populations are dominant but extending beyond just religious adherence to include shared traditions in language (Arabic, Persian), art, science, philosophy, and governance, distinct from "Islam" (the religion) itself, highlighting a shared civilization rather than just a faith.
-
"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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Email us at info@khajistan.com.
-
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
