Abu Dhabi’s Traditional Handicrafts and Arts
Traditional handicrafts and arts in the emirate of Abu Dhabi are largely dominated by women, who have passed on their skills in embroidery and weaving from one generation to the next. Gold, silver and brightly coloured strings are woven on a wooden block to produce the teli, elaborate and colourful embroidery that adorns the collars and sleeves of women’s robes.
Women wear the embroidered robes on special occasions and feasts, while young girls wear the teli-embroidered robes at a special ceremony that marks their memorization of the Holy Quran. The sado, meanwhile, is another popular traditional handicraft. Women weave cotton and wool threads into elaborately designed patterns which are used to make the colourful tents used by Bedouins in the desert.
The women of Abu Dhabi are also adept at weaving baskets from palm fronds, or khous. These are commonly used to store household staples. Other traditional handicrafts include shawls, pottery, rugs and other woven fabrics. The Women’s Crafts Centre on Maktoum Street near the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club is run by the Abu Dhabi Women’s Association, and showcases many of the emirate’s traditional handicrafts, providing Emirati women with a platform to display and sell their products.
Visitors can also watch demonstrations of how the handicrafts are produced.
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, meanwhile, has set up an outlet for traditional Emirati handicrafts at the capital’s Cultural Foundation. The outlet, located at the Delma corner, bears the slogan, “100 percent Emirati, 100 percent handmade”, and is aimed at preserving and promoting traditional handicrafts in the emirate.
Visitors to the Cultural Foundation will be able to watch women engage in this traditional craft at the outlet, as well as get a taste of Emirati cuisine and coffee. Female visitors can also get a henna tattoo, another traditional Emirati art. Proceeds from the sale of Emirati traditional crafts are rolled back into the project, thus allowing visitors to contribute directly to the preservation of the emirate’s folk art and handicrafts.
The Heritage Village is another must-see destination for traditional Emirati handicrafts. Run by the Emirates Heritage Club, the Heritage Village features reconstructions of Bedouin tents, old fishing villages and traditional markets. A shop on the premises, located on the Abu Dhabi Corniche near the Breakwater, sells a wide variety of local handicrafts.
Website: http://www.visitabudhabi.ae/en/what.to.do/art.and.culture/crafts.aspx
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