The Prague Post - Emiratis battle to preserve dying art of embroidery

EUR -
AED 4.237783
AFN 79.378381
ALL 97.332363
AMD 442.903901
ANG 2.064875
AOA 1057.993383
ARS 1492.965739
AUD 1.775295
AWG 2.079644
AZN 1.959692
BAM 1.951302
BBD 2.331575
BDT 141.870316
BGN 1.951116
BHD 0.434972
BIF 3442.442968
BMD 1.153755
BND 1.486689
BOB 7.980225
BRL 6.455032
BSD 1.154763
BTN 100.185379
BWP 15.632046
BYN 3.778751
BYR 22613.60162
BZD 2.319733
CAD 1.589119
CDF 3333.198858
CHF 0.930625
CLF 0.028208
CLP 1106.716753
CNY 8.281482
CNH 8.287372
COP 4817.320173
CRC 583.567315
CUC 1.153755
CUP 30.574512
CVE 110.016141
CZK 24.608422
DJF 205.647495
DKK 7.461525
DOP 70.179428
DZD 150.236654
EGP 56.196417
ERN 17.306328
ETB 159.690514
FJD 2.605698
FKP 0.861537
GBP 0.865155
GEL 3.161196
GGP 0.861537
GHS 12.125991
GIP 0.861537
GMD 83.070173
GNF 10020.420476
GTQ 8.861033
GYD 241.59931
HKD 9.056915
HNL 30.373558
HRK 7.531141
HTG 151.443494
HUF 399.680984
IDR 18936.583846
ILS 3.886343
IMP 0.861537
INR 100.197465
IQD 1512.738823
IRR 48587.506336
ISK 142.067699
JEP 0.861537
JMD 185.003501
JOD 0.817991
JPY 171.540612
KES 149.134097
KGS 100.741747
KHR 4624.699181
KMF 489.76918
KPW 1038.331042
KRW 1608.299776
KWD 0.352553
KYD 0.962336
KZT 627.251146
LAK 24908.520036
LBP 103473.727909
LKR 348.88326
LRD 231.539264
LSL 20.723702
LTL 3.406739
LVL 0.697895
LYD 6.254581
MAD 10.480439
MDL 19.706679
MGA 5168.487974
MKD 61.421596
MMK 2421.742305
MNT 4142.5846
MOP 9.3376
MRU 46.088147
MUR 53.176525
MVR 17.765176
MWK 2002.496351
MXN 21.695294
MYR 4.885575
MZN 73.794572
NAD 20.722985
NGN 1768.752807
NIO 42.493878
NOK 11.816506
NPR 160.300565
NZD 1.939899
OMR 0.443604
PAB 1.154828
PEN 4.094285
PGK 4.859796
PHP 66.184594
PKR 326.74372
PLN 4.278705
PYG 8649.509619
QAR 4.198839
RON 5.074561
RSD 117.144196
RUB 94.722874
RWF 1669.844491
SAR 4.327344
SBD 9.558971
SCR 17.277917
SDG 692.831385
SEK 11.152988
SGD 1.486469
SHP 0.90667
SLE 26.536343
SLL 24193.673899
SOS 660.024175
SRD 42.181285
STD 23880.402901
STN 24.444177
SVC 10.104144
SYP 15000.541242
SZL 20.716319
THB 37.439028
TJS 10.999899
TMT 4.049681
TND 3.408043
TOP 2.702213
TRY 46.813801
TTD 7.8381
TWD 34.361485
TZS 3011.300491
UAH 48.276797
UGX 4139.636068
USD 1.153755
UYU 46.205882
UZS 14451.435844
VES 140.679966
VND 30257.229718
VUV 137.646446
WST 3.165211
XAF 654.499202
XAG 0.030274
XAU 0.000347
XCD 3.118081
XCG 2.081192
XDR 0.800025
XOF 654.482222
XPF 119.331742
YER 277.91079
ZAR 20.721287
ZMK 10385.183546
ZMW 26.532902
ZWL 371.508699
  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • BCC

    -0.8000

    85.94

    -0.93%

  • SCS

    -0.2950

    10.555

    -2.79%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.05

    +0.15%

  • CMSC

    0.0700

    22.57

    +0.31%

  • RIO

    0.2100

    62.4

    +0.34%

  • RBGPF

    3.6700

    77.55

    +4.73%

  • NGG

    -0.1200

    70.2

    -0.17%

  • RYCEF

    0.2600

    13.4

    +1.94%

  • CMSD

    0.1100

    23.01

    +0.48%

  • VOD

    -0.0500

    11.11

    -0.45%

  • BCE

    -0.1400

    23.69

    -0.59%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    52.495

    +1.36%

  • RELX

    0.1800

    51.95

    +0.35%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    37.71

    +0.69%

  • BP

    -0.1500

    32.52

    -0.46%

  • AZN

    2.5100

    74.34

    +3.38%

Emiratis battle to preserve dying art of embroidery
Emiratis battle to preserve dying art of embroidery / Photo: Karim SAHIB - AFP

Emiratis battle to preserve dying art of embroidery

Far from Dubai's glitzy towers, Mariam al-Kalbani's henna-dyed fingers weave brightly coloured threads in a skill she hopes young Emirati women watching her can preserve for the future.

Text size:

The art of hand-weaving braided shiny ribbons to adorn traditional clothing and bags is called Al Talli, and is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

But with the relentless pace of change in the United Arab Emirates, its days may be numbered.

"It's a craft of our ancestors and our people," Kalbani told AFP in Al Ain, the UAE's fourth largest city, which sits between mountains and the desert.

"If we do not take initiative and introduce it to them, it will disappear."

The 70-year-old craftswoman, wearing a traditional black abaya robe and golden face covering, has been training students and apprentices in the art for 15 years.

"The goal is to revive the heritage for the next generation," she said.

She emphasised that mastering Al Talli doesn't happen "in a couple of hours -- it could take a year or two, especially if training is done just once a week".

Kalbani has been weaving Al Talli since she was a teenager.

The simplest Al Talli designs are made from six threads -- although they can number up to 50 -- and mastering the process of combining them with beads, ornaments and precious metals such as gold can take a long time.

- 'Rare and special' -

Accounting student Reem al-Ketbi watched Kalbani intently as she worked on a round cushion called a Mousadah, weaving a silver thread back and forth during a recent handicrafts festival.

"Every time I see Al Talli, I remember the Emirati identity -- it's something rare and special," said the 23-year-old, who began learning the craft last year while also pursuing her studies.

No precise information on Al Talli's origins exists.

But Mohamed Hassan Abdel Hafez, a cultural heritage expert at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, said it has been passed down through multiple generations, "at least from grandparents to grandchildren", in line with UNESCO's listing requirements.

"In the field of intangible cultural heritage, it is very difficult to determine the exact date or when it historically began," he said.

However, the UAE authorities are working to preserve traditions that date from before the development of the oil industry in the country.

Kalbani laments that her own daughters did not take up the craft, but smiled as her three-year-old granddaughter beside her asked questions about the braids and threads.

Al Talli was not the only tradition being highlighted at the Crafts and Traditional Industries Festival.

At the main square in Al Ain, American Katie Gaimer watched men performing the traditional Ayalah dance, wielding bamboo sticks or unloaded rifles to the rhythm of folk songs.

The 35-year-old teacher said she and her friends had just enjoyed an Al Talli workshop, where they had a free lesson on how to make bracelets.

"It kind of felt like we were making friendship bracelets... it was fun and it was nice to learn from somebody teaching it in a traditional way," she said.

- 'Worth preserving' -

Elsewhere, women produced various items including Sadu fabric, which is used for tents, carpets and camel saddles, and is also listed by UNESCO.

Aisha al-Dhaheri, who works to promote traditional crafts at the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, said authorities hope to support Al Talli by licensing certified experts to expand production and teaching.

"It's considered at risk of disappearance, so we tried to expedite preservation efforts by organising training courses," she said.

Accounting student Ketbi believes that young women these days "are not very interested" in learning craft techniques from long ago.

But she still considers preserving them worthwhile "out of love for the country".

Those who can even remember the UAE before its vertiginous ascent into modernity are increasingly few, however.

Emiratis make up just 10 percent of the federation's 10 million inhabitants, and overwhelmingly the young are focused on the digital future, less so the often impoverished past.

At one shop in the festival area, octogenarian Kulthum al-Mansouri sold bags, incense burners, bracelets, necklaces, medals and key chains -- all adorned with Al Talli which she herself braided under the eyes of passers-by.

She said she felt saddened that young women seem less interested in Al Talli than ever, distracted as they were "by screens and phones".

But she still hoped the skill could be passed on because her generation cannot maintain it forever.

"For how long do we have left to live?" she said.

T.Kolar--TPP