To carve a stone using just a nail seems like an impossible feat and yet, 53-year-old Ramazan Mama from Mingora, Swat takes up this mammoth task every day to create usable utensils and decoration pieces from stone.

“When my family initially moved to the area, I saw a lot of the old stone art, especially in the form of pots in the mountains. This made me want to do the same,” Ramazan told Aaj News.

When he started around 25 years ago, he would use a needle used to stitch clothes to carve designs on the rocks he would bring back from the mountains. As time passed and his skill developed, he now uses a nail, much like the one we use to hang pictures or shelves.

“I would initially use a needle to carve the stone since I did not know how to use a nail. But now I carve everything using a nail,” he said.

The art of carving stone to make pots, pans and other decorative items was most popular during the first to eighth century AD in Swat, through Buddhist influences. Ramazan through his skill is also keeping a dying form of stone carving alive.