• Tourists look on as Palestinian craftsman Mohammed Al-Awawda creates coloured sand artworks at his souvenir shop in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
    Tourists look on as Palestinian craftsman Mohammed Al-Awawda creates coloured sand artworks at his souvenir shop in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
  • Supplies of coloured sand at Al-Awawda's shop. Reuters
    Supplies of coloured sand at Al-Awawda's shop. Reuters
  • A Palestinian man shows his picture to Al-Awawda as he commissions a sand artwork bearing his likeness. Reuters
    A Palestinian man shows his picture to Al-Awawda as he commissions a sand artwork bearing his likeness. Reuters
  • Tourists and locals look on as the craftsman creates his pieces. Reuters
    Tourists and locals look on as the craftsman creates his pieces. Reuters
  • Artwork bearing the likeness of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is displayed in Al-Awawda's souvenir shop. Reuters
    Artwork bearing the likeness of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is displayed in Al-Awawda's souvenir shop. Reuters
  • Al-Awawda arranges artworks at his shop. Reuters
    Al-Awawda arranges artworks at his shop. Reuters
  • Al-Awawda's pieces range in size. Reuters
    Al-Awawda's pieces range in size. Reuters
  • A boy looks at sand artworks at Al-Awawda's shop. Reuters
    A boy looks at sand artworks at Al-Awawda's shop. Reuters

The artist who preserves landscapes and portraits in sand on the West Bank - in pictures


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

It's a painstaking process, where every coloured grain must be poured into the glass in the right order to capture an accurate likeness.

The practice of sand art is something craftsman Mohammed Al-Awawda has spent years fine-tuning from his workshop in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The artist creates everything from landscapes to patterns to even portraits, which can be commissioned by customers.

Scroll through the gallery above to see more from Al-Awawda's shop.

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