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Emiratis Battle to Preserve Dying Art of Embroidery

An Emirati woman weaves thread in the Al Talli method, a traditional local weaving technique, during an annual heritage festival in Al-Ain on November 10, 2023. (AFP)
An Emirati woman weaves thread in the Al Talli method, a traditional local weaving technique, during an annual heritage festival in Al-Ain on November 10, 2023. (AFP)
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Emiratis Battle to Preserve Dying Art of Embroidery

An Emirati woman weaves thread in the Al Talli method, a traditional local weaving technique, during an annual heritage festival in Al-Ain on November 10, 2023. (AFP)
An Emirati woman weaves thread in the Al Talli method, a traditional local weaving technique, during an annual heritage festival in Al-Ain on November 10, 2023. (AFP)

Far from Dubai's glitzy towers, Mariam al-Kalbani's henna-dyed fingers weave brightly colored threads in a skill she hopes young Emirati women watching her can preserve for the future.

The art of hand-weaving braided shiny ribbons to adorn traditional clothing and bags is called Al Talli, and is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

But with the relentless pace of change in the United Arab Emirates, its days may be numbered.

"It's a craft of our ancestors and our people," Kalbani told AFP in Al Ain, the UAE's fourth largest city, which sits between mountains and the desert.

"If we do not take initiative and introduce it to them, it will disappear."

The 70-year-old craftswoman, wearing a traditional black abaya robe and golden face covering, has been training students and apprentices in the art for 15 years.

"The goal is to revive the heritage for the next generation," she said.

She emphasized that mastering Al Talli doesn't happen "in a couple of hours -- it could take a year or two, especially if training is done just once a week".

Kalbani has been weaving Al Talli since she was a teenager.

The simplest Al Talli designs are made from six threads -- although they can number up to 50 -- and mastering the process of combining them with beads, ornaments and precious metals such as gold can take a long time.

'Rare and special'

Accounting student Reem al-Ketbi watched Kalbani intently as she worked on a round cushion called a Mousadah, weaving a silver thread back and forth during a recent handicrafts festival.

"Every time I see Al Talli, I remember the Emirati identity -- it's something rare and special," said the 23-year-old, who began learning the craft last year while also pursuing her studies.

No precise information on Al Talli's origins exists.

But Mohamed Hassan Abdel Hafez, a cultural heritage expert at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, said it has been passed down through multiple generations, "at least from grandparents to grandchildren", in line with UNESCO's listing requirements.

"In the field of intangible cultural heritage, it is very difficult to determine the exact date or when it historically began," he said.

However, the UAE authorities are working to preserve traditions that date from before the development of the oil industry in the country.

Kalbani laments that her own daughters did not take up the craft, but smiled as her three-year-old granddaughter beside her asked questions about the braids and threads.

Al Talli was not the only tradition being highlighted at the Crafts and Traditional Industries Festival.

At the main square in Al Ain, American Katie Gaimer watched men performing the traditional Ayalah dance, wielding bamboo sticks or unloaded rifles to the rhythm of folk songs.

The 35-year-old teacher said she and her friends had just enjoyed an Al Talli workshop, where they had a free lesson on how to make bracelets.

"It kind of felt like we were making friendship bracelets... it was fun and it was nice to learn from somebody teaching it in a traditional way," she said.

'Worth preserving'

Elsewhere, women produced various items including Sadu fabric, which is used for tents, carpets and camel saddles, and is also listed by UNESCO.

Aisha al-Dhaheri, who works to promote traditional crafts at the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, said authorities hope to support Al Talli by licensing certified experts to expand production and teaching.

"It's considered at risk of disappearance, so we tried to expedite preservation efforts by organizing training courses," she said.

Accounting student Ketbi believes that young women these days "are not very interested" in learning craft techniques from long ago.

But she still considers preserving them worthwhile "out of love for the country".

At one shop in the festival area, octogenarian Kulthum al-Mansouri sold bags, incense burners, bracelets, necklaces, medals and key chains -- all adorned with Al Talli which she herself braided under the eyes of passers-by.

She said she felt saddened that young women seem less interested in Al Talli than ever, distracted as they were "by screens and phones".

But she still hoped the skill could be passed on because her generation cannot maintain it forever.

"For how long do we have left to live?" she said.

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Culture

WAMY: Saudi Pavilion at Cairo International Book Fair 2026 Reflects Saudi Cultural Leadership

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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WAMY: Saudi Pavilion at Cairo International Book Fair 2026 Reflects Saudi Cultural Leadership

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s distinguished participation in the 57th Cairo International Book Fair, held in January 2026, affirming that it reflects a balanced civilizational model that combines the authenticity of cultural heritage with a forward-looking vision of knowledge for future generations, SPA reported.

WAMY noted that this participation contributed to strengthening the Kingdom’s standing as an influential cultural force at the regional and international levels.

WAMY also commended the diversity of the content presented, which ranged from the latest scientific and literary publications to a rich cultural program that included seminars and poetry evenings.

These activities enhance cultural dialogue and promote the values of moderation, underscoring the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting the publishing industry, empowering youth through knowledge, and raising awareness.

Culture

Fragmentary Sculptures from the Umayyad Palace of Qasr al-Mshatta

Five sculptures from Qasr al-Mshatta are preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, while a sixth sculpture is preserved in the Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman.
Five sculptures from Qasr al-Mshatta are preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, while a sixth sculpture is preserved in the Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman.
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Fragmentary Sculptures from the Umayyad Palace of Qasr al-Mshatta

Five sculptures from Qasr al-Mshatta are preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, while a sixth sculpture is preserved in the Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman.
Five sculptures from Qasr al-Mshatta are preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, while a sixth sculpture is preserved in the Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman.

by Mahmoud Zibawi

The Jordanian desert contains a series of Umayyad palaces, the largest of which is Qasr al-Mshatta, located in the Jiza District. Western Orientalist scholars first drew attention to this site in the late nineteenth century, and a German mission succeeded in transporting its massive southern facade to Berlin at the beginning of the twentieth century, after Sultan Abdulhamid II presented it as a gift to his ally, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia.

The facade entered the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in 1903 and was later transferred to the Museum of Islamic Art in 1932. This museum is regarded as the oldest and largest institution dedicated exclusively to Islamic art in Europe and North America. The facade of Qasr al-Mshatta occupies the largest portion of this European complex, alongside a small, independent group of damaged sculptures that originally formed part of the palace’s furnishings. This group bears witness to a distinct Umayyad sculptural tradition, whose artistic identity became clearly defined through comparable assemblages discovered in other Umayyad palaces excavated during the 1930s.

The sculptures from Qasr al-Mshatta are displayed on white rectangular plinths in a corner of the gallery dedicated to the palace’s monumental facade at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin. At first glance, they resemble fragmented stone blocks positioned at the margins of this facade, which is adorned with limestone relief carvings that have largely preserved their original features. In this corner, one piece stands out for having retained most of its original form: a carved and polished block of limestone depicting a lion crouching on a white base, measuring 72 centimeters in length and 122 centimeters in width.

The lion appears firmly grounded on its folded hind legs atop a thin rectangular base devoid of ornament, with its front legs extended forward. Despite the loss of most of the head and the extremities of the forelegs, the sculptural composition remains clear and legible. The facial features have largely disappeared, making them difficult to reconstruct; however, the posture suggests an upright head pressed close to the chest, encircled by a dense mane composed of compact, parallel locks of hair that extend to include the beard, together forming a collar encircling the oval mass of the chin.

The body is elongated and smooth, with limbs clearly articulated in a manner that approaches naturalistic realism, as evidenced by the precise modeling of the joints. This approach is especially apparent in the treatment of the hind legs and is further emphasized by the pronounced protrusion of the claws marking their extremities. It is worth noting the existence of a small carved fragment originating from Qasr al-Mshatta in which these claws appear in a similar manner. It remains unclear whether this fragment originally belonged to the same sculpture or to a companion piece that formed a paired composition, in keeping with an artistic convention prevalent in the provinces of the Sasanian Empire. Although this empire came to an end with the Islamic conquest of Persia, its cultural legacy remained vibrant and left a profound imprint on Umayyad artistic production; the lion of Qasr al-Mshatta stands as compelling evidence of this cultural synthesis.

Facing this lion are several damaged sculptural fragments, each representing a small portion of a female figure whose original configuration is now difficult to reconstruct. One fragment preserves a head, retaining the wide eye sockets, the lower portion of the nose, and lips closed in a subtle smile. The cheeks are broad, suggesting that this youthful face belonged to a woman crowned by a voluminous mass of thick hair, whose upper surface is approximately twice the area of the face itself. By contrast, two additional fragments reveal a full and fleshy female torso.

A third fragment preserves the thighs of two closely set legs, which share the same robust character. This piece has retained its polished surface and is of medium scale, measuring 70 centimeters in height and 50 centimeters in width, indicating that it belonged to a statue conceived on a near life-size scale. This three-dimensional form preserves fine details of its execution, revealing a thin garment slipping away from the buttocks, with its edge still visible at the upper part of the left thigh. On this thigh appear traces of an inscription carved in Kufic script, running from top to bottom. Unfortunately, specialists have been unable to decipher the text, though one hypothetical reading suggests that it records the name of the woman represented by the statue.

The Jordan Archaeological Museum houses a comparable fragment uncovered during restoration and cleaning campaigns conducted by the Department of Antiquities in 1962 at Qasr al-Mshatta. This piece, likewise executed at near life size, measures 75 centimeters in height and 52 centimeters in width and represents the pelvis and upper portions of the legs. Here, the garment drapes over the right thigh, revealing the left thigh beneath, with sharply defined folds executed in accordance with the classical Greek style. The statue has lost its arms; however, the remaining lower portions indicate hands that once held objects whose identities can no longer be determined.

These sculptures attest to an Umayyad female sculptural ideal, whose formal characteristics first emerged through the study of the murals at an Umayyad desert site known as Qusayr ʿAmra, documented by the Czech scholar Alois Musil in a major two-volume publication issued in 1907. These characteristics were subsequently confirmed in the medium of sculpture through the discovery of similar female figures from an Umayyad palace located at Khirbat al-Mafjar, north of Jericho, during excavations conducted by a mission affiliated with the British Department of Antiquities in the mid-1930s.

This ideal is distinguished by a full, fleshy body inclined toward corpulence, as well as facial features that mirror this physical quality. The type recurs in multiple sculptural variants, and their study reveals the use of diverse hairstyles and ornamental schemes, forming a visual vocabulary that parallels the literary lexicon for which this remarkably productive period is renowned.

Culture

Olympic Visitors to Milan Get a Rare Chance to Glimpse Restoration of a Long-Hidden Leonardo Gem

Marina Vece works on restoring the Sala delle Asse, part of the newly created Leonardo da Vinci itineraries inside Milan's Sforza Castle, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
Marina Vece works on restoring the Sala delle Asse, part of the newly created Leonardo da Vinci itineraries inside Milan's Sforza Castle, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Olympic Visitors to Milan Get a Rare Chance to Glimpse Restoration of a Long-Hidden Leonardo Gem

Marina Vece works on restoring the Sala delle Asse, part of the newly created Leonardo da Vinci itineraries inside Milan's Sforza Castle, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
Marina Vece works on restoring the Sala delle Asse, part of the newly created Leonardo da Vinci itineraries inside Milan's Sforza Castle, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)

In honor of the Milan Cortina Olympics, Milan cultural officials are for a brief time only allowing visitors access to a long-hidden wall and ceiling painting by Leonardo da Vinci while restoration work is underway.

The vast painting of a pergola covered with intertwined flowering branches inside Milan’s Sforza Castle is concealed behind a six-meter (nearly 20-foot) towering scaffolding in the Sala delle Asse. Letters establish that Leonardo started the work, but it's one he left unfinished.

“In 1498, he had to flee because the French arrived in Milan, and after that date it was covered over, hidden,” said Luca Tosi, heritage curator at Milan’s landmark Sforza Castle, which is in the same Sempione Park where the Olympic flame will burn during the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games.

In another sign of Leonardo's impact on Milan, the Olympic cauldron itself is inspired by the Renaissance genius' geometric studies, officials announced this week.

Under the French, the castle became a military barracks and the painting, which covers the ceiling and part of the wall, was covered with plaster. The work was only rediscovered early last century, when restorers removed the plaster and filled in color to match Leonardo’s work.

“As a result, Leonardo scholars no longer recognized them as a true Leonardo, but rather as a repainted Leonardo, somewhat a fake, to use a popular term,” Tosi added.

Visitors will be able to climb up the scaffolding and view the restorers at work during a brief window from Feb. 7-March 14, after which it will be closed to the public again for another 18 months to complete the work.

Restorers are using Japanese rice paper with demineralized water to remove salts that have seeped into the walls, gradually cleaning the surface of the painting.

“The hardest part is that Leonardo’s painting is very delicate, there are some liftings, there are more fragile parts and therefore the work must be done centimeter by centimeter, with the utmost attention and care,” Tosi said.

The painting is a study of leaves and plant species that provides yet more evidence of Leonardo’s infamous scientific inquiry, said Tomasso Sacchi, Milan’s top culture official.

“It’s a thrill to know another Leonardo and to experience this extraordinary dedication to various forms of knowledge by this fundamental figure in our history,” Sacchi said.