The Depository · Browse · Middle East
The Depository documents 14 techniques in Saudi Arabia; by risk level: 4 endangered, 7 vulnerable, 3 thriving. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
The crafting of gold and silver jewelry set with imported gemstones -- principally turquoise, alongside fire agate, pearls, rubies, and coral -- by artisans of the Najd central highlands of Saudi Arabia, a tradition directly documented in…
The forging of traditional Saudi Arabian daggers, distinguished into two documented types -- al-janbiyah, a curved blade, and al-khanjar, a straight blade -- alongside the related saif, a single-edged sabre.
The hand-forming of the dallah, the iconic long-spouted Arabic coffee pot of the Arabian Peninsula, from brass, copper, silver, or, for the most valuable examples, twenty-four-carat gold, using metalworking techniques passed down across…
The weaving of dried palm fronds into baskets, mats, trays, fans, bags, tablecloths, brooms, and camel-carried containers, one of the oldest handicrafts in Saudi Arabia and practiced everywhere the palm tree grows across the Kingdom.
The hand-weaving of wool, goat hair, and camel hair into tents, furnishings, and decorative items by Bedouin women of the Arabian Peninsula, inscribed by UNESCO in 2020 as a shared element of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait's Intangible Cultural…
The preparation of al-bukhoor, scented incense blocks or blends, central to Saudi Arabian hospitality and ritual life, tracing its roots to the ancient Arabian Peninsula's historic position at the crossroads of the global incense trade,…
The roasting, grinding, spicing, and ceremonial brewing of qahwa, Saudi Arabia's traditional Arabic coffee, a preparation historically regarded as a skill worthy of respect, with a host capable of brewing a perfect cup considered a…
The wheel-throwing, sun-drying, firing, and hand-painting of pottery at the Dougha Pottery Factory in Al-Ahsa, southeastern Saudi Arabia, a working craft center with a documented history spanning more than 600 years.
The hand-weaving and tailoring of the bisht, a rectangular, open-fronted cloak that began as a traveler's garment offering warmth and protection before becoming the most prestigious garment in the Arabian world, a mark of formality and…
The painting of bold geometric and floral murals directly onto interior walls by women of the Asir region, southwestern Saudi Arabia, inscribed by UNESCO in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
All miscellaneous & heritage-adjacent craft techniques worldwide →
The illumination of pages with gold and color on a framework of geometric pattern drawn by hand with a two-legged compass and a straight ruler.
The annual weaving, dyeing, printing, and gold-and-silver embroidery of the Kiswa, the sacred black cloth covering the Kaaba at Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, produced entirely by Saudi artisans at the King Abdulaziz Complex…
The carving of traditional wooden doors and rawashin (mashrabiya) lattice screens with intricate floral and geometric patterns, a craft carrying strong regional visual identity across Saudi Arabia, particularly in the Najd region and the…
The tanning, softening, cutting, and shaping of animal hides into wearable goods, belts, bags, and containers by skilled artisans of Najran, southern Saudi Arabia, documented as one of the region's most actively practiced traditional…