United Arab Emirates · Textile / Basketry (embroidery)
Al Talli (also Alseen); Talli Batool (finished embroidered decorative textiles); Kajuja (the metal-stand-and-cotton-pillow braiding device)
The braiding of decorative embroidery from cotton or silk threads interwoven with fine metallic strands of gold or silver, practiced by Emirati women across the United Arab Emirates and inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022. Talli is characteristically created using a combination of six cotton threads separated by a central silver thread, skillfully braided into colorful shapes carrying symbolic meanings tied to desert and maritime life. The craft is worked on a kajuja, a specialized device consisting of a metal stand topped with an oval-shaped cotton pillow, which serves as the base against which threads are braided; individual weavers work with between eight and fifty spools of thread simultaneously, depending on design complexity. Finished talli is used to decorate the collars, cuffs, sleeves, and hems of traditional garments, particularly the kandura and thawb women's robes, with demand for the craft specifically peaking ahead of religious festivals (Eids) and during the summer marriage season. A genuinely time-consuming craft, talli is traditionally transmitted informally from mothers to daughters, supplemented today by formal courses and workshops held in schools, universities, and dedicated heritage-development centers. The practice of women gathering in homes and residential neighborhoods to braid talli together carries a significant social dimension, providing an opportunity for social interaction and the direct exchange of technical knowledge, folk tales, and proverbs alongside the craft itself.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Inscribed 2022 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee held in Rabat, Morocco
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