The year 2025 has been designated the Year of Handicrafts in the Kingdom to reinforce handicrafts as authentic cultural heritage. This initiative aims to promote the practice, preservation, documentation, and integration of handicrafts into contemporary life, celebrating an ancient cultural legacy central to people's identity.
The designation seeks to support artisans, enhance their skills, and prevent traditional crafts from fading. It emphasizes manual crafts that utilize simple tools, without relying on modern technologies, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
Prominent crafts include Sadu weaving, mud building, wood carving, pottery, hand embroidery, and palm frond products like baskets and mats. Engraving doors with Najdi motifs is another traditional art for which the Najd region is renowned.
An SPA reporter interviewed artisans skilled in Najdi door engraving.
Ali Al-Jasser shared his journey from wooden installations to three-dimensional wooden pieces that blend tradition with contemporary art. He noted the regional variations in engravings: Najdi in the center, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri in the south, Rawashin in the west, Bab Al-Bahr in the east, and Sadu in the north.
Nouf Al-Suwailim highlighted that Najdi door engravings are key elements of traditional architecture in the Najd region, embodying its cultural and urban identity. She described the doors' elegant designs, featuring geometric and floral motifs enhanced by decorative iron nails.
