Second National
Intangible Cultural
Heritage Forum

Elements


Arabic Calligraphy:

Arabic calligraphy is an artistic form of handwriting based on the Arabic scripts. In the Arab world words were powerful and had a lot of meaning to it, also the writing of the Quran and the hadiths delivered a crucial role in preserving these texts. To emphasize the importance of this many scholars and writers across the Arab world developed these beautiful handwriting techniques to spread their message across the world and conceptualized the art form of Arabic calligraphy.

 

Today it is widely practiced across the Arab world and is use in invitations and official documents of state as well as many more uses. The styles found in this form of art are the following:

  • Kufic – which is the oldest form of Arabic script and is styled using angular and rigid strokes, the language used in the kufic script differ from the rest as it doesn’t use the dots on the alphabets.
  • Naskh – is a cursive script used in the writing of the Quran and official documents. It is the most popular styles used today by scriptures.

 

Al-Ardha:

Al-Ardha is a traditional dance performed by men in various occasions such as weddings and national celebrations. The performance includes dancers, drummers, and a poet to recites verses reflecting the occasion. In this performance, two rows of dancers face each other holding swords while leaving a good amount of space for the drummers to stand in between. While the poet chants its verses, the dancers move side to side front and back to the rhythm of the drums and verses lifting their swords up and placing them down again on their shoulders. This performance has been passed down from generations to generations and has been a part of the community's cultural heritage for centuries.

 

Weaving (Naseej):

The craft of weaving is an old tradition that is centralized today in the village of Bani Jamrah. Raw materials used for the weaving are threads of cotton, gold and silver, the Looms; device constructed by carpenters under the supervision of the weavers for the use of weaving the threads. The craft was an integrative process between the men and women in the community, as the men do the weaving the women dye the threads in different colors to get the desired look. The weavers would produce fabric that were used for garment of women and men depending on.

 

Traditional Costumes:

Every Nation has its local and traditional costumes, which differs in the materials used, the embroidery techniques, the methods in which they were made and their uses. Generally, communities within closer proximity have similar outlines and basic cuts of their garments, this feature is also present in the Arab communities as the costumes worn by them has had a direct influence from the customs and traditions of Islam that is shown in the quality and decorum of the garments.
The aesthetics and artisanship of the garments display the high skills set by the Bahraini dressmakers and tailors using motif and ornaments inspired by their living surroundings and environment, especially used in garments for women.