ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 5,000-year-old folk instrument Bareendo has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list for urgent safeguarding, the UN agency said this week, placing it among cultural traditions considered at immediate risk of disappearing.

Believed to originate in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, the clay wind instrument is the oldest known surviving musical form in the southern Sindh province. Its soft, breath-driven tones have accompanied Sufi devotional gatherings, winter festivals and village ceremonies for generations, forming a core part of Sindh’s musical and spiritual identity.

The inscription was approved at the 20th Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which documents vulnerable cultural practices globally, from oral folklore to craftsmanship, to ensure they are preserved and passed on.

UNESCO announced the listing on X on Tuesday:

“New inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List of Intangible Heritage: Boreendo, Bhorindo: ancient dying folk musical instrument, its melodies, knowledge, and skills.”

Pakistan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, welcomed the move, calling it the recognition of a tradition preserved through centuries of community transmission.

“Bareendo is not only an emblem of the Indus Valley’s cultural continuity but also a living expression of Sindh’s artistic and spiritual heritage,” she was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Embassy in France. 

“This recognition by UNESCO reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to the protection and promotion of our diverse cultural traditions.”

Only two people are believed to retain full mastery of Bareendo today, musician Ustaad Faqeer Zulfiqar and master potter Allah Jurio, underscoring why the nomination was marked urgent, the embassy said. 

The nomination followed an intensive consultation process between the Sindh government, Pakistan’s Mission to UNESCO and UNESCO headquarters in Keti Mir Muhammad Loond village and led to a four-year safeguarding strategy (2026–2029). Planned measures include a community music school, integration into formal and informal education and digital archiving to open access beyond Sindh’s rural belt.

With this recognition, Bareendo joins existing UNESCO-listed intangible traditions like Suri Jagek (the astronomical knowledge of the Kalash people), Falconry, and Nowruz, the regional spring new year.