ABU DHABI // Traditional Emirati arts and crafts will be showcased at an Al Ain heritage festival later this year.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA), the National Traditional Handicrafts Festival features a souq, folk dancing and music among many other activities.
“Craftsmanship was a major source of income for our forefathers and is deep rooted in our heritage,” said Nasser Ali Al Hamairi, director of TCA Abu Dhabi’s Intangible Heritage Department. “It reflected the very essence of the social values at the time and the deep bond between local people and their surrounding environment.”
With the festival taking at the historic Souq Al Qattara from October 23 to 29, visitors can try their hand at a craftsmanship competition, learn how traditional food is prepared and brew themselves a cup of Arabic coffee. There will also be live performances of Al Harbiyah, Al Ayyalah, Rebaba music and the Al Shillah and Al Yola dances.
Mr Al Hamairi said the festival aimed to highlight craftsmanship in Emirati heritage to keep these traditions alive.
To do so, the festival will feature workshops led by experts in the production and promotion of handicrafts. TCA Abu Dhabi will also conduct research into the number and geographical spread of traditional handicraft producers.
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The biog
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Director: Joyce Bernal
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950