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Craft Techniques of Sudan

The Depository documents 9 techniques in Sudan; by risk level: 1 critically endangered, 5 endangered, 2 vulnerable, 1 thriving. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

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Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Beja Kaskara Sword and Dagger ForgingMetalwork & Jewelry · Vulnerable

    The forging of kaskara, straight double-edged iron swords several feet in length, by Beja blacksmiths of eastern Sudan, sold and worn today primarily by Beja merchants at Daim Arab Market in Port Sudan.

  • Bishariya Nomadic Silver Amulet JewelryMetalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    Traditional silver jewelry of the Bishariya, a nomadic tribe of the eastern desert south of the Red Sea spanning southern Egypt and northern Sudan, distinguished within regional Muslim tribal jewelry traditions by their notable use of…

  • Omdurman Silver Filigree Jewelry-MakingMetalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    The hand-twisting, plaiting, and soldering of fine silver wire into lace-like filigree jewelry by silversmiths of Omdurman, Sudan's largest city and traditional craft-market center across the Nile from Khartoum.

All metalwork & jewelry techniques worldwide →

Basketry & Woven Fiber

  • Hadendoa Shamla Half-WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Critically Endangered

    An academically documented and exceptionally rare goat-hair weaving technique used by the Hadendoa (also Hedendoa/Hedendowa), a Beja tribal group of eastern Sudan traditionally inhabiting the region between the Nile and the Red Sea from…

  • Sudanese Al Sa'fiyyāt Palm Frond WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Endangered

    The weaving of palm frond leaves into mats, baskets, trays, food covers, and specialized ritual objects by women across Sudan, formally documented on Sudan's own National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage as Al Sa'fiyyāt, the palm…

All basketry & woven fiber techniques worldwide →

Embroidery & Lace

  • Beja Geometric BeadworkEmbroidery & Lace · Vulnerable

    The stringing of bold, colorful glass, clay, seed, and metal beads into geometric-patterned necklaces, belts, headbands, and bracelets by women of the Beja people, a nomadic ethnic group of the Red Sea Hills region of eastern Sudan…

All embroidery & lace techniques worldwide →

Food, Drink & Botanical

  • Sudanese Jabana Coffee Roasting and Ceremonial PreparationFood, Drink & Botanical · Thriving

    The roasting, grinding, spicing, and ceremonial brewing of coffee in Sudan, a daily social ritual known as ja'afa in which green coffee beans are roasted over an open flame, ground by mortar and pestle, and boiled in a jabana pot (of clay…

All food, drink & botanical techniques worldwide →

Architectural Craft

  • Sudanese Nubian House DecorationArchitectural Craft · Endangered

    The women's craft of decorating the exterior and entrance of Nubian mud-brick homes in Sudan's Northern State, combining aesthetic composition with an explicit protective function — the decoration is specifically intended to shield the…

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Ceramics & Pottery

  • Sudanese Nubian Qulla Water-Cooling PotteryCeramics & Pottery · Endangered

    The hand-building and wheel-throwing of qulla, unglazed porous clay vessels used across Sudan to cool and store drinking water through evaporative cooling, produced in traditional pottery centers including Al-Gamayer (Omdurman), Old…

All ceramics & pottery techniques worldwide →