Long before the UAE was a glittering sea of skyscrapers and five-star hotels, the innate creativity of Emiratis was clear in their wide and varied repertoire of handicrafts.
Using only the materials from the endemic palm tree, they had enough to support many aspects of desert life. The trees’ trunks supported the roofs of their mud-brick buildings, the ribs of the palm leaves were used to weave the walls of the huts or curved to make fish traps, and the dried leaves were tied together to make a sheet, called barasti, that was used for roofs or sun shades.
Although today, it is rare to find a palm-made hut, it is common to find the older generations weaving with the leaves of the palm as the tradition has survived to the present.
It is just one of the many traditional skills that will be showcased at a heritage festival that opens this week in Al Ain.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA), the first National Traditional Handicrafts Festival features a souq, folk dancing and music among many other activities.
Other celebrated crafts include al sadu weave, a kind of woollen fabric, and the distinctive embroidery technique known as telli. Using a loom and brightly coloured thread, telli is an element from Bedouin culture that has stood the test of time.
Visitors to the festival in Al Ain will get to see displays of all the crafts as well as invited to try their hand at a craftsmanship competition and also learn how to brew themselves a cup of Arabic coffee. “The entire event is an attempt to preserve these cultural elements as well as to keep the skills within future generations, explains Saeed Hamad Al Kaabi, head of traditional handicrafts and products at TCA.
“Our ancestors developed a number of handicrafts and industries to meet their daily needs, and these pieces were considered creative works of art with an aesthetic element. However, skills have receded under the pressure of highly advanced, modern industries and we hope by creating a competitive element, contestants will be motivated to develop innovate ways to further our preservation goals.”
Also
Sign up for a cookery competition
Open to anyone over 15 years old, this competition involves making six popular Emirati dishes – one for every day of the festival. The dishes include Harees – the ground meat dish, resembling porridge, Balaleet, cooked vermicelli mixed with sugar syrup, saffron, rosewater, sautéed onions and topped with a fried egg, and Luqaimat, the Emirati version of a doughnut eaten with delicious date syrup.
Check out Al Qattara Arts Centre
Close to the Souq Al Qattara, the redeveloped Al Qattara Fort is now home to an arts centre and gallery. With aesthetically traditional exterior facades, the centre houses state-of-the-art facilities and offers a much needed exhibition space in Al Ain. There are also classrooms for tutorial sessions and places for artists to practise.
The National Traditional Handicrafts Festival runs from today until October 29 at Souq Al Qattara in Al Ain
