Shahtoosh

Common card · No. 318685

Shahtoosh (; from Persian شاهتوش 'wool king') is an Indian wool obtained from fur of the chiru, a Tibetan antelope. The chiru is a wild animal, and cannot be commercially shorn, so it is killed for its fleece to be harvested. Due to the severe decline of the chiru population by 90% in the second half of the 20th century, it was internationally classified as a critically endangered species until 2016. Since 2016, it has been classified as a near threatened species, due to species conservation programs and partial recovery of population size. Although the production, sale, and acquisition of shahtoosh has been illegal under CITES since 1979, the wool is mostly used to make luxury scarves and shawls, . On the black market, shahtoosh shawls fetch prices ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. Under sixteenth century Mughal emperor Akbar the Great, the imperial wardrobe began to utilize Tus or Shahtoosh on a large scale. It was the costliest, warmest and most delicate shawl. It was soft enough to pass...

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