11 October 2022
Bahrain Culture Authority Inaugurates Pioneering “Basket Making House” Sustainable Basket weaving and Bait Al-Safah crafts near Qal’at al Bahrain Site
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities inaugurated the new “Basket Making House”, on 10 October 2022 near Qala’at al Bahrain Fort Site Village. The opening ceremony was attended by H.E Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and number of local community’s representatives, and those interested in the cultural matters of Bahrain.
The new “Basket Making House” is located amid Qala’at al Bahrain Village neighboring the Bahrain Fort Site, which is a UNESCO World Heritage List. It is dedicated to encourage the promotion of basket-making craft centered on Karbabad village. This project, which was completed during this year, comes within the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ development plan of Qala’at al- Bahrain surrounding area.
In is address during this ceremony, the President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities stressed the importance of Bahraini traditional crafts and creative industries, and their role in supporting plans and projects to advance the local community and promote Bahrain’s cultural and civilizational position. In addition, H.E has pointed out that the new inaugurated “Basket-Making House” will play its role in safeguarding and preserving one of the important crafts in the Kingdom. H.E thanked all parties that have contributed to the success of the project, appreciating the cooperation of the local community in Qala’at al Bahrain area.
Indeed, “The Basket-Making House” will be the central venue hosting traditional crafts, such as basket weaving and Saff-al khoos crafts, gathering, thus, professionals and craftsmen and offering many training programs and workshops for the sustainability of the craft. It is worth noting that the “Basket-Making House” was built after the restoration works undertaken at house of Hajj Salman. Indeed, Bahrain Culture Authority carried out restoration works, refurbishing it and restoring its distinctive urban features. This project goes hand in hand and complements the successful steps taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain nominate “The Date Palm: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices” on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition, a palm tree garden was also included in this project, adding specific green scenery to the house in a way that reflects the identity of the project and its role in preserving the craft that relies mainly on palm fronds.
Worth to mention that basket weaving Saf-al Khoos crafts are considered authentic Bahraini traditional handicrafts passed from generation to generation. These crafts traditionally have spread in areas where palm trees are abundant, such as the villages situated in the Northern part of Bahrain, Western coast areas and the villages north of Muharraq Island. However, it is concentrated in the village of Karbabad. Women and men share their practice of these crafts, whereby women Saf -al Khoos ( palm fronds the wicker) is done by women’s hands, while the men, the basket makers, bend and soften the branches to weave two- or three-dimensional products that meet the daily needs of the Bahraini family.
