Pakistan has diversified its export base, from software, to sugar mills, to aircraft to arms.
The Pakistani marble was so good, it was transported all the way to Agra for building the Taj Mahal. The use of marble in leafy American and European homes will be accomplished through affective marketing techniques and by the multiple marble cities that are being built all over Pakistan.
The future of marble is from small handicrafts to industrial growth. Pakistan is one of the few sources of Onyx (green) marble.
Etymology: In Urdu “marble” is called “Sang a ‘marmar’ ” which probably comes from Greek.The word “marble” derives from the Greek marmaros, “shining stone” (Oxford English Dictionary). This stem is also the basis for the English word “marmoreal” meaning “marble-like”.
These are the major types of marbles in the world
Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their quarries, include
| Marble | Color | Location | Country/Region |
| Beijing White | White | China | |
| Black Marble | D?bnik | Poland | |
| Black Marble | Kilkenny | Ireland | |
| Boticena and Onyx(Green) | Pakistan | ||
| Bra? | Island of Bra? | Croatia | |
| Brown marble | Ch?ciny | Poland | |
| Carrara marble | white or blue-gray | Carrara | Italy |
| Connemara marble | Green | Connemara | Ireland |
| Danby marble | Danby | Vermont | |
| Durango Marble | Coyote Quarry | Mexico | |
| Fauske | Norway | ||
| Llano Pink | Central Texas | ||
| Luni marble | Luni | Italy | |
| Macael | Spain | ||
| Makrana | Grayish white | India | |
| Nabresina | Trieste | Italy | |
| Parian marble | Fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white | Island of Paros | Greece |
| Penteli Marble | Flawless white with a uniform, faint yellow tint | Penteli | Greece |
| Proconnesus Marble | Island of Marmara | Turkey | |
| Red Marble | Ru?chi?a | Romania | |
| Rouge de Rance | Red | Rance | Belgium |
| Royal White | White | China | |
| Thassos | Snow white, White, Grayish white, White with pink veining | Island of Thassos | Greece |
| Vietnam White | Grayish White | Vietnam | |
| Yule | Uniform pure white | Marble, Colorado | Colorado |
White marbles, like Carrara in Italy, Royal White and Beijing White in China, have been prized for sculpture since classical times. This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic “waxy” look which gives “life” to marble sculptures of the human body.
Source Wikipedia
By By our correspondent 1/18/2008
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is scouting for increasing marble exports from the existing $23 million to $500 million by 2011, as it has one of the world’s largest marble and granite reserves and clear edge over the neighboring countries i.e. India and China .
“Pakistan has a clear edge over India as well as China to excel in the marble industry as we have 64 types of marbles, which India and China lack, however, 85 percent of the marble is wasted due to blasting and lack of proper facilities.
The use of modern technology would reduce the losses 45 percent,” Shahid Rehman, Director Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) said briefing Federal Minister for Sports and Culture Sardar Sikindar Hayat Khan Jogezai on Thursday.
PASDEC plans to set up four marble cities in collaboration with the NIPS (National Industrial Parks Development and Management Company). One such marble city in Risalpur is ready for groundbreaking. Shahid Rehman informed the minister that 80 plots would be created in Risalpur, 200 in FATA and 200 in Karachi marble city respectively, he said.
Federal Minister Sardar Sikindar Hayat Khan Jogezai latter while addressing to the large gathering of All Pakistan Marble Association in Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) said that Pakistan is rich in natural resources and has fertile agriculture, sea, hills, coal, gas, oil, and marble reservoirs.
