Saudi Arabia · Textile / Basketry
Khous (palm frond weaving)
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. Palm fronds are dried in the sun, cut to remove all thorns, soaked, dyed if required, and sewn together in a painstaking process demanding great attention to detail and a steady hand. Saudi families once relied heavily on the palm for far more than dates: stems supported roofs and house structures, leaves formed walls and inner roofing, and the wider craft of basket- and utensil-making from palm is among the oldest human crafts practiced worldwide. Archaeologists have found foundations of houses made entirely from palm at sites dating to the medieval period, and the Prophet's Mosque, built in Medina in 630 CE, was constructed entirely from palm trunks and leaves. Saada Al Harbi, an artisan from a village outside Mecca where most residents once worked with khous, was taught the craft by her mother and grandmother starting around age 10; her own father made ropes from palm fibers while her mother made khous, sustaining the household specifically through growing dates and onions and making goods from the palm tree. Al Harbi sometimes works with a plaiting method she describes as 'Malaysian,' directly learned from Malaysian artisans, representing a genuine instance of cross-cultural technique exchange within the craft. Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province and the governorates of Khaybar, Badr, al-Hanakiyyah, and al-Mahd are specifically renowned for palm frond product craftsmanship, and the craft has been highlighted as part of Saudi Arabia's 2025 Year of Handicrafts, with regions including Hail and Jeddah continuing active production.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not independently inscribed
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