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Traditional Omani handicrafts were on the brink of extinction a few
years ago but they have made a dramatic comeback with the
encouragement from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to preserve
these skills. Traditionally handicrafts were practiced and passed on
through generations over thousands of years.
To start with, the ubiquitous palm tree has provided more than dates
for the natives- its leaves are used to make 'mukhraf'(a bag for
collecting dates), baskets and intricately designed shoulder bags
called 'murbah'.
The 'mansul' is a traditional cloak made from black goats hair and
embroidered on the outside.
Silver jewellery has always been an important part of the
traditional Omani attire. Necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, anklets,
ear pendants, bangles and hair decorations are typical examples of
this craft as well as the famous Khanjar (curved dagger), the
national symbol of Oman. Nizwa is famous for the silver souq where
you can find decorative jewellery and Khanjars.
Bahla is known as the centre for pottery where you can still find
potters at their wheels throwing clay pots, jugs, urns, incense
burners, and decorative items which are then fired in kilns. Styles
consist of simple decoration with simple glazed designs or etching
on the surface.
In the desert you will find colourful camel girth straps woven by
the Bedouin women of Wahiba. These colourful straps sometimes
incorporate intricate geometric patterns and are woven from camel,
goat and sheep wool as well as (nowadays) imported fibres.
Wood carving is also popular in the coastal areas. One of the most
obvious examples of these are the elaborate wooden doors of almost
any domicile. The craft also lends itself to the design of chests,
shelves, and miniature reproductions of dhows.

Traditional Crafts

Traditional crafts with utility value have always maintained the lead over modern equivalents as people's familiarity with them has run on for centuries. The practicality of traditional crafts also has bearing on the availability of raw material locally. Date palms which abound in almost all areas of the Sultanate not only have proved vital because of its luscious fruit but also because of the varied uses of almost all its parts including palm frond and trunk. In fact there is nothing from a date palm which does not serve some purpose. While palm fronds are extensively used for rural house construction, especially by Bedouins who migrate during summer to collect dates, date palm leaves are used for weaving baskets to store dates.

Basket weaving with date palm leaves has been practiced in the Sultanate for long. Despite modern baskets being available for storage purposes, the traditional baskets have continued to hold sway as they enable dates to retain their taste and nutrients. Traditional basket weavers are professionals who do not engage in any other activity. Throughout the year they are busy working on the various stages of basket weaving. Most importantly, basket weaving from date palm leaves reflects the strong relationship between Omanies and date palms. It clearly reveals the optimum use of the palms. Most often basket weaving can be witnessed being practiced by veterans from one generation and their children who get trained by their parents.

Very few traditional crafts are being pursued with such diligence, thereby ensuring the continuance of such precious skills. Most Omani villagers still use baskets made of date palm leaves to store dates as well as collect them. The type of basket used for storage purposes is called jrab while the one used for collection of dates is known as qufer. The one-metre tall jrab can hold 60 kg of dates and can be used for two years. However, some farmers prefer to use these baskets only for a year to retain the freshness of dates. Later, the same baskets may be used for storing dates for goats and cattle. The use of baskets made of date leaves is especially useful for collection of date honey. Dates packed in these baskets are stacked one over the other in clean storage rooms with channels.

After a few days, due to heat and pressure, honey starts dripping through these baskets and flow to the channels where it is collected. Qufer is mainly used for collection of dates. This type of basket is made of younger leaves and can be used for carrying 15 kg of dates. Qufer is priced at RO2.500 a piece and is often used by females who carry such baskets on their heads while returning from date palm plantations. Date leaf baskets can be seen in most of the traditional markets such as Nizwa, Samayil and Sinaw. Villagers continue to prefer these baskets as they are cheap as well as clean and safe. There are five stages for basket weaving from date palm leaves.

In the first stage dry leaves are cut and collected. In the next stage, leaves are removed from the stem. In the third stage leaves are put in water to make them more flexible and strong. In the fourth stage, the actual weaving process begins and hundreds of metres of bands are woven and stored at sableh or public majlis. Before the onset of summer these bands will be woven and kept ready for the final stage of weaving. In the last stage of weaving, the rolls of bands are again put in water for a couple of hours before being woven into baskets. Each of the basket weavers makes a few hundreds of baskets during a season according to the requirements of their villagers.

They also sell some of the baskets in the nearby markets. A piece of jrab can fetch them one riyal. The traditional basket weavers have no other job or source of income. These old men are very famous for their expertise in basket weaving which they have been continuing for a very long time. While professionals have great speed in basket weaving, the younger artisans who have been newly trained take more time to finish their job. A great deal of patience is required to do a fine job of basket weaving. Interestingly, some of the professional artisans who are engaged in basket weaving are blind and they have made a name for their weaving skills.

There are many jobs that Iraqis knew since hundreds of years before,
such as making dates wine, dates sweets (Iraqi call it locally
Klaicha) and dates filled with nuts. In addition, they knew how to
pave roads by natural sources from hot water springs in northern Iraq.
If you visit the local market of Soog el-Sufafeer, you would find
hundreds of workers especially old men who make traditional
handicrafts by silver, gold and other special kinds of metals and
jewels.
In the desert where the Badu live, you can see local people who work
in horses and camels herding. As well as local women who weave tents.

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CARPRT WEAVING
"All around the world, Iranian carpets are the symbol of poetical
luxury. A. Pope
When we talk of carpets, involuntarily, the name of Iran comes to
mind. The great art experts of the world believe this fact. The 2
words of carpet and Iran are synonymous in any language, therefore,
carpets being the obvious symbol of the Iranian talent in art.
We can positively affirm that the finest and the most sumptuous
carpets of the world are woven in Iran.
The art of carpet weaving in Iran is deeply connected with the
culture and the customs of the people of this land and it sources
from their instinctive feelings.
Iranian skillful carpet weavers mix wonderful patterns with
admirable colors. An art which is only expected from outstanding
painters.
Art experts in the world compare the Iranian carpet to a
multicolored pleasant garden, full of flowers, vegetables, birds and
beasts and terrestrial and legendary creatures. Everyone can possess
this little charming garden in his house.

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Iran, a vast country of varied custom is famous to have masters of various handicrafts.

There are a vast variety of handicrafts in Iran from silk work to tapestries and from ceramics to woodwork, and the good news is that the amount of handicrafts allowed to pass Iranian customs is much higher than most tourists can afford. The most important handicrafts of Iran, which has a worldwide reputation, is the industry of weaving carpet and kilim (short-napped course carpet).

Iranian tile and ceramic industry and its products have perfectly portrayed themselves in mosques and historical monuments .

Mashad, the holy city, is famous for its long sheepskin coats which are made with the outside skin prepared as chamois leather and the soft fleece inside. The preparation of the skin and the stitching of the garments are done by men, women with the satin stitch prepare the rich silk embroidery on the surface. The original method of tanning the skin was primitive and left the skin often stiff or giving out a strong odor. The Cooperative Society of Pustin workers helped by Iran Handicrafts Organization has set up a workshop with improved equipment in which the skins are scientifically treated and also dyed in a range of fast colors. Today the Cooperative in Mashad makes long and short

Engraving is defined as the art of carving delicate designs on metal; and in our country this art has always been done in the Iranian method and its designs have also been traditional ones.

Engraving is done on different metals such as copper, brass, silver, gold and also some alloys. To engrave, first the back side of the work is covered by tar so that during engraving it prevents the work from getting wavy as a result of hammering and the pressure of the chisel and from causing a lot of noise. Then the chosen design is transferred on the work and by a tool called "Nimbor" the main lines are engraved, afterwards different patterns are being cut by the use of different sorts of chisels on the surface of the work. Sometimes if necessary or according to his taste and interest the artisan proceeds to reticulate, stone-set, gold block and silver block the product, in short, the beauty and delicacy of the final work completely depends on the creativity of the mind and proficiency of the artist of this field.

The pottery of Nishabur, Rey, Kashan and Isfahan conjure up an image of some of the finest ceramics of the world. Their exquisite forms, glowing colors of the glazes and a subtle sense of design give these pottery pieces a timeless quality.

Pottery is the most ancient and one of the richest artistic traditions of Iran. It carries the impress of the people. They made objects for everyday use and showed a highly developed skill in handling the material and a lively imagination in shaping and decorating the forms. Even today many of the centers continue the ancient tradition and most of the techniques continue unchanged

Once a traditional craft practiced by village women, Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery has become an important symbol of Palestinian culture. Embroidered pieces can be found in the homes of most Palestinian families in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel and the Diaspora beyond, adorning the walls of houses in Jerusalem, villas in the Gulf, suburban homes in the United States, and cement block houses in refugee camps. In addition, cross-stitch embroidery is given as gifts and worn by Palestinians worldwide on festive occasions.

The popularity of embroidery springs from both its beauty and its association with the Palestine of the past. Common patterns reflect the millennia-long history of the land. The designs are derived from sources as diverse as ancient mythology and foreign occupations and date as far back as the Canaanites, who lived in the area over three thousand years ago.

The handicraft also symbolizes the traditional rural lifestyle of Palestine, much of which was lost after the 1948 creation of the state of Israel. Embroidery was the principal decoration of rural women’s clothing. It was part of a village women’s daily routine and a means of showing off her personal skills and social identity. The patterns, colors and quality of the dress reflected a woman’s social standing, marital status and wealth.

Although the Palestinian cultural landscape has changed dramatically in the last fifty years, cross-stitch embroidery has remained a vibrant handicraft because, for many Palestinians, it is a familiar reminder of Palestine in the days of their grandparents or great grandparents.

Olivewood Carving

Olivewood is a local material found throughout Palestine, and the wood carving can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Travelers' accounts and historical documents describe the beauty of olive wood rosaries and crucifixes and their popularity among pilgrims.

Wood carvings are made from the branches of olive trees which are pruned at the completion of the olive picking season. It takes a six-step-process and 45 days for a piece of wood to turn into a beautiful piece of art. It is a skilled trade that requires 6-7 years of training for one to become a professional craftsperson. In addition to the

I am going to speak about making baskets that it depends on canes while it takes a lot of time, but at the end we will have a beautiful formed basket.

In the past years it was used in holding fruits, vegetables, and eggs, but nowadays baskets are used in decoration and embellishment to beautify the place and the furniture.

Syria was famous for many handcrafts include: Painted glass trade . The painted glass trade is an old handcraft that well known down the ages. This trade began in simple small workshops and three or two craftsmen who worked in it, then it began to widen . The painted glass was made from a special of sand . They gained salting sand and they put it in high digree heat and they make it on many different shapes after it melt . They use the painted glass to decorate the Mosques and they made from it some bowels , vases and they hang them on the wall . They also use them in some glass painted lamps Forming a vase after melting the glass

Although arabesque products is rare and ucommon nowadays it is still a kind of a very beautiful art . The beginning of this handcraft work was ten centuries ago where the main material was only pure wood .Nowadays ,it is made of wood with other materials such us copper , bronze and ivory , manufactured with simple equipments of a lot of sense and creative basics of this industry to get one peace of this art .we have three steps: at first we must chose the wood .which is a special kind of wood the second step is painting the shape we will do .At last we remove unnecessary parts of wood. The final step is the most important and difficult one so it needs an expert one to do it .

Finally we see that arabesque is a beautiful and a difficult kind of art and hands crafts and needs a high sense from the person to manage it.

EVERY HUMAN LOVES BEAUTY AND MY AMBITION IS TO MAKE WOMEN MORE BEAUTIFUL BY OPENNING A SALOON WHICH IS INTERESED IN THE APPEARANCE OF WOMEN THROUGH THE MAKE UP AND THE COIFURE WORK .

THROUGH MAKING UP WOMEN BECOME MORE BEAUTIFUL AND MORE ELEGANT .TROUGH THE EFFECT OF COLORS .

COLOURS SYMBOLIZE TO LIFE AND TO MAKE GOOD MAKING UP YOU HAVE TO TAKE COLOURS FROM NATURE AND TRY TO SHOW THE BEAUTY OF THE EYES BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

IN YOUR FACE.NOT ALL WOMEN BECOME MORE BEAUTIFUL BY MAKE UP BECAUSE MAKE UP IS AN ART LIKE PAINTING.THERE IS THE MIXTURE OF COLOURS AND THE HARMONY BETWEENTHE COLOUR OF EYE SHADOW AND LIP STICK AND ALSO THE COLOURS THAT SUIT WONEN"S FACE SO THERE ARE A LOT OF WOMEN WHO DON'T HAVE AHIGH TACT YOU CAN SEE THEM PUTTING A MIXTURE OF COLOURS THAT ARE NOT BEAUTIFUL WITH THEM SELVES

TO BEAUTIFY SOMEBODY IS SOMETHING GOOD;BUT IT IS BETTER TO BE MORE BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR INSIED.

الطالبة بسمة الفصيح- ثانوية عبد الحميد الحراكي

There are a lot of kinds of reed in our country. So, we make beautiful things from them Some of them are very useful For carrying things like baskets Craftsman make chairs ,tables ,coffee tables, and baby beds from reed.Reed furniture are wonderful and comfortable

Arab people use rugs very much in winter they put rugs under carpets and in summer they use them in the farms . Making rugs is very difficult and it takes a long time. Craftsmen make rugs from colored woolen threads. The craftsman uses sometimes the twine threads and make their forms beautiful ones