Thursday, 15, November 2007
By: Kholood F. Al-Rhamah
The world of Saudi Arabia crafts is generally thought to be fairly limited, given the generally Spartan lifestyle of the Kingdom's forbears. But this view ignores the ingenuity of our ancestors who, undoubtedly, used their hands to create both the necessities and the luxuries of desert life.
The Emir of Riyadh, Prince Salman Bin Abdu-laziz, recently visited craftsmen in the old town of Al-Gat in a bid to draw attention to what is indeed, a thriving Saudi crafts scene and the upcoming opening of the Craftsmen Center there.
The craftsmen's workshops in Al-Gat produce engraved wooden doors, popular games, and various articles crafted from Palm leaves. Additionally, the men engage in robe making, blacksmithing and coppering.
Abdul-Rahman Saleh Al-Yehya, the supervisor of the Craftsmen center in Borydah (Al-Qassim) regards traditional handicrafts as Gold if the craftsman has been completely dedicated to his career, working assiduously in his workshop and developing his products.
"In the led-up of official opening of the center, we constructed 45 specialized work shops for both crafts and heritage works" Al-Yehya Said. The official opening of the center is less than a month away.
The center is going to be the biggest center of its kind in the kingdom. "There are plans to establish a crafts training center as a means of encouraging people to return to using handicrafts," Al-Yehya continued.
The training courses are expected to take at least 6 months after which the trainee has the right to have his own workshop in the center as well as to receive financial assistance. Al-Yehya stressed that crafts are art and that they allow people reconnect with their heritage.
The Craftsmen Center is supported by the Supreme Commission of Tourism (SCT) and the municipality of Al-Qassim. The SCT has also announced a development program aimed at reviving 64 old villages in the Kingdom with an eye towards making them inhabitable cultural villages offering economic opportunities to inhabitants.
By: Kholood F. Al-Rhamah
The world of Saudi Arabia crafts is generally thought to be fairly limited, given the generally Spartan lifestyle of the Kingdom's forbears. But this view ignores the ingenuity of our ancestors who, undoubtedly, used their hands to create both the necessities and the luxuries of desert life.
The Emir of Riyadh, Prince Salman Bin Abdu-laziz, recently visited craftsmen in the old town of Al-Gat in a bid to draw attention to what is indeed, a thriving Saudi crafts scene and the upcoming opening of the Craftsmen Center there.
The craftsmen's workshops in Al-Gat produce engraved wooden doors, popular games, and various articles crafted from Palm leaves. Additionally, the men engage in robe making, blacksmithing and coppering.
Abdul-Rahman Saleh Al-Yehya, the supervisor of the Craftsmen center in Borydah (Al-Qassim) regards traditional handicrafts as Gold if the craftsman has been completely dedicated to his career, working assiduously in his workshop and developing his products.
"In the led-up of official opening of the center, we constructed 45 specialized work shops for both crafts and heritage works" Al-Yehya Said. The official opening of the center is less than a month away.
The center is going to be the biggest center of its kind in the kingdom. "There are plans to establish a crafts training center as a means of encouraging people to return to using handicrafts," Al-Yehya continued.
The training courses are expected to take at least 6 months after which the trainee has the right to have his own workshop in the center as well as to receive financial assistance. Al-Yehya stressed that crafts are art and that they allow people reconnect with their heritage.
The Craftsmen Center is supported by the Supreme Commission of Tourism (SCT) and the municipality of Al-Qassim. The SCT has also announced a development program aimed at reviving 64 old villages in the Kingdom with an eye towards making them inhabitable cultural villages offering economic opportunities to inhabitants.
No comments:
Post a Comment