The history of craft in the Middle East spans millennia. From the hand-tufted Persian rugs traded on the Silk Road to the delicately crafted pottery of the Ottoman Empire, the region has drawn customers from far and wide for its unique craftsmanship. What was once central to the livelihoods of many in the region remains an important aspect of culture today, and the creatives behind these Middle Eastern craft brands are bringing the same principles forward into a time when mass production means artisanship holds more value than ever before.
Bokja
Bokja’s fabric creations, which include artworks, furniture and clothing, may look whimsical on the surface, but deep, intentional meaning runs through every stitch. Established in Beirut in 2000 by Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, the atelier’s pieces include reflections on displacement, identity, conflict, migration and memory. “Every project begins with a conversation rather than an object,” says Baroudi. “We believe beauty can be a powerful vehicle for difficult conversations.” The Arab Spring marked a turning point for the brand. As conflict and instability spread across the region, many skilled artisans from neighbouring Arab countries arrived in Lebanon, particularly from Syria, Iraq and Sudan. They brought with them generations’ worth of inherited craftsmanship and technical knowledge, as well as specialist skills in upholstery, embroidery, textile manipulation, furniture construction and finishing. Today, nine artisans work in the atelier, some there since Bokja’s earliest days. “Rather than replacing our visual language, these artisans expanded it,” says Hibri. “Their traditions became intertwined with our own, transforming the work into a richer collaboration that reflects not only Lebanon’s heritage, but also the wider cultural landscape of the Arab world.” Nicola Chilton
Abdelzaher Atelier
Abdelzaher’s Atelier takes a bit of effort to find. One of Cairo’s last remaining bookbinders is hidden away in a lane behind Al-Azhar mosque, on the opposite side of a busy road from Khan el-Khalili bazaar, sitting among stalls laden with pomegranates, watermelons and bananas. The shelves of the glass-fronted shop are equally colourful, stacked with leather-bound journals and photo albums in shades of fuchsia pink, sunshine yellow and chocolate brown. Established in 1936, the shop is now run by Yasser Abdelzaher, grandson of the original founder. The heavy work – the cutting and stitching of pages, the glueing and binding of leather covers – takes place in a separate workshop, but the finishing touches are all done here, in an alcove where brass letters are heated over flames to emboss spines and covers with initials in gold leaf. In an age where most reading is done on a screen, all signs point to this being a dying trade. But within the centuries-old stone walls of Abdelzaher’s atelier, it feels very much alive. NC
Turquoise Mountain
Founded in 2006 by King Charles III to protect and revitalise cultural heritage, Turquoise Mountain has trained and employed more than 11,500 artisans in Afghanistan, Jordan, Myanmar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria, reviving traditional crafts, creating economic opportunities and driving restoration projects. One of the artisans supported by the charity is Ahmed Alfozan, a woodworker from Al Qassim in Saudi Arabia who learnt his craft from his father and is now passing his skills on to his son and daughter. Taking inspiration from the intricate geometric patterns of the colourful wooden doors that were once found all over Saudi’s Najd region, Alfozan uses natural pigments to reinterpret traditional motifs. The result is homeware and decorative panels born out of inherited skill, experimentation and Alfozan’s own instinctive creativity. NC
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LRNCE
Marrakech-based LRNCE’s products represent the full spectrum of Moroccan crafts – from ceramics and furniture to textiles and traditional zellige tile work. Founded in 2013 by Belgian designer Laurence Leenaert, LRNCE now partners with more than 40 artisans across Marrakech, and raw materials are all sourced locally. There’s an almost childlike exuberance to each piece. Naive forms – fish, waves, flowers, seahorses, suns and carefree squiggles – are painted onto tableware, vases, cushion covers and wall art. Heart and star shapes are rendered from wrought iron on the back of chairs; candleholders are formed like crude Ionic columns; and sandals are made from a colourful patchwork of leather. Everything is produced in small batches and, as is befitting of objects lovingly shaped by the human hand, no two items are quite the same. Selina Denman
Naqsh Collective
Founded by Nisreen and Nermeen Abu Dail, Naqsh Collective combines the Amman-born sisters’ talents in architecture and graphic design – translated into furniture and art pieces that embrace the duo’s Palestinian heritage. A signature object is the Jhazek Ya Shams, their interpretation of the traditional bridal chest used for clothing, jewellery and other valuables when a woman moves into her new home. They designed their first to celebrate the birth of their niece, Shams. As well as wood, Naqsh Collective’s chests are crafted from stone or marble, with Palestinian tatreez embroidery patterns, including doves, olive branches and cypress trees, hand-rendered in brass. The end product melds solidity and softness, a celebration of culture and craft that goes far beyond physical storage. It’s a keeper of memory, inheritance and stories across generations. NC
Nassij Home
Ikram Fechkeur’s failed search for rugs that were “authentic, timeless, made from natural wool and deeply connected to my roots” led her to the women weavers of Aïn Madhi in the south of Algeria. But it was the death of her father, and the realisation that through weaving she could express emotions, memories and ideas that she couldn’t easily put into words, that led her to establish her brand Nassij Home. Fechkeur designs her rugs in collaboration with the weavers, taking inspiration from architecture, nature, interior design trends and her Algerian heritage. She has moved away from the typical business model, where women are responsible for the weaving and men for selling, to focus on branding, marketing and sales, to ensure artisans’ work reaches a broader audience. Every weaver is paid as soon as her rug is completed, rather than when it is sold, giving them greater financial stability. “After working together for so many years, I can often recognise who wove a rug just by looking at the knots and the finishing,” Fechkeur says. “Every weaver leaves a subtle signature in her work – and I think that’s one of the most beautiful aspects of true craftsmanship.” NC
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Muria Jewellery
Founded by sisters Fatma and Maryam Al Barram, Omani jewellery brand Muria contemporises the classic spiked mishawak bangle. The modern version is slimmed down, made from matte gold and diamond baguettes, rather than customary silver, and designed for stacking on the wrist. “The original bangle is linked to fertility, with the spikes representing female curves, and is thought to have originated in Africa, possibly Zanzibar,” Fatma explains. “There are also similar historical examples found in India, Yemen and Somalia.” Other research points to the design being based on the protective thorns of the desert acacia tree – the Omani names for the bracelet, mushawak or mashouq, are derived from the Arabic word for thorn. All of these influences come together to inspire Muria’s elegant interpretation. NC
Irthi Contemporary Craft Council
On Sharjah’s northeast coast, in the town of Dibba Al Hisn, a group of women gather to chat, drink coffee, and weave safeefah palm fronds into complex baskets and avant-garde furniture. It’s a craft that has been practised here for as long as anyone can remember – but the execution is decidedly modern. The women are part of the Irthi Contemporary Craft Council’s Bidwa social development programme, established a decade ago to empower artisans and build creative economies, while ensuring the country’s craft heritage isn’t lost. “We started with one artisan, Um Ahamed, who spoke about it with her neighbours; within the first year, we ended up with 38 women on board,” Her Excellency Reem BinKaram, the council’s general director, explains. “Dibba Al Hisn is a small community, so that’s a huge number. They’re all senior citizens, matriarchs in their own families and still working today. Those who can no longer create due to age and health are actively transferring their knowledge.” Over the past 10 years, the number has grown to include 840 artisans across the UAE and the MENASA region. Since 2019, Sharjah has been part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, with a particular focus on crafts and folk art. Through the work of Irthi, crafts such as talli braiding, safeefah palm frond weaving and local embroidery are reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Some programmes see local artisans paired with international artists and designers, and Irthi products have been exhibited in major global events such as the Milan and Miami design weeks. The council works with community centres and schools to reach new audiences, and offers summer programmes that give both girls and boys access to craft. “We customise the programmes because we want the participants to create in ways that are interesting to them,” says BinKaram. “We might start with a funky tarboosh tassel or shoelaces.” The next major step in the council’s journey is the opening of the Irthi Museum in the Sharjah Creative Quarter in 2029, a centre for design, research, reinterpretation and preservation of traditional craft. “There’s so much we do and we haven’t been able to showcase everything,” says BinKaram. “The museum is going to be the one-stop shop where you’ll be able to see all the research, development, innovation, training and the end products we’ve created.” NC
Cairopolitan
Cairopolitan’s pop-art-inspired keyholders, candles and carpets may look kitsch, but they are rooted in traditional craft, and made by Egyptian artisans with highly specialised skills. Take, for example, the meat cleaver keyholder. Ten different artisans join forces to create this tiny item, each contributing to the same 20 steps that go into making a full-sized kitchen version. It’s all part of efforts by Ahmed Hefnawy and Nelly El Sharkawy, the duo behind the brand, to keep Egyptian craft skills alive. “A lot of crafts are dying in Egypt since demand has shifted to more industrial products instead of handmade ones,” says El Sharkawy. Asking often ageing craftsmen to create completely new products can present an uncomfortable challenge. Instead, Cairopolitan asks the artisans to create the same products they’ve been making for decades, while changing their size and function. “This method creates the perfect ratio of the artisan being excited to be creating something new, while still being inside their comfort zone.” NC
Salim Azzam
Known for its hilly landscapes and fragrant cedar forests, the historic Chouf region of Mount Lebanon is about an hour’s drive from Beirut. The pace of life is slower, and the remote, rural area is still home to artisans skilled in specialised craft techniques, passed down over generations by Druze women. Lebanese designer Salim Azzam pays tribute to and supports the creative ecosystem of his hometown, employing more than 60 local embroiderers to bring the styles native to this once-isolated village to the rest of the world. White veils and loose, flowing silhouettes typical of Lebanese mountain life are central to Azzam’s aesthetic, brought to life through hand-stitching techniques and dreamy, delicate crochet work so fine it could pass as lace. Artisans practise shuttle tatting – a technique nearing extinction – to create lace by hand, which then becomes the finishing touch on collars, cuffs and hemlines. Timeless feminine symbols such as bows and birds in flight are recreated with grace, artistry and innovation, always linking back to memories of home. Case in point: a white ruffled shirtdress with picturesque landscapes densely embroidered onto sleeve cuffs. In a more recent piece, a hoopoe bird – iconic in Middle Eastern folklore – rests on vine branches stitched onto a structured brown blazer. Azzam won the Fashion Trust Arabia award in 2019, and recently celebrated the brand’s 10-year anniversary with an exhibition celebrating his creative journey, which has broadened to include table linens, crochet lamps, shoes and embroidered charms. Hafsa Lodi
Sarah’s Bag
Beirut-born Sarah Beydoun was studying sociology and working with an NGO that rehabilitated female ex-prisoners before she merged her passions and launched her eponymous brand 20 years ago. Her mission is two-fold: to empower women in need, while keeping ancient craft techniques such as embroidery, beading, crochet and fabric manipulation alive through statement bags. She works with more than 200 female artisans (sometimes, one woman will spend about 25 hours on a single piece), and her designs have been carried by Queen Rania and Princess Salma of Jordan, as well as stars such as Beyoncé, Nancy Ajram and Mona Zaki. Beydoun’s creations are laden with Levantine symbolism. Embroidered Lebanese cedar trees on vintage-style pouches with antique silver frames represent strength, resilience and eternal life. Evil eyes, set in decadent mother-of-pearl, are believed to ward off negative energy. One range pays tribute to crochet styles typical of bridal trousseaux and home furnishings, replicated on structured clutches and slouchy slip pouches. The bold Backgammon clutch features marquetry, a centuries-old technique involving different types of wood, while the kaleidoscopic Azure bags combine a base layer of marquetry with mandala motifs and the centuries-old practice of mother-of-pearl inlay. Many evening purses are embellished with Arabic calligraphy. Taking 10 hours to embroider, one gold clutch is decorated with a quote from the popular Arab poet Al-Mutanabbi, echoing the perseverance of its makers: “Life’s invitations come to those with determination.” HL
Hirbawi
Originally worn by farmers as protection against the elements, the Palestinian kufiya became a symbol of resistance against the British occupation during the Arab Revolt in the 1930s, and endures as a universally recognised emblem of resilience and solidarity. Based in Hebron in the West Bank, Hirbawi is the last remaining kufiya factory in Palestine. Founded by the late Yasser Hirbawi in 1961, the workshop is currently run by his three sons and employs about 20 artisans, some of whom have been working the clattering looms for decades. Hirbawi faced closure in 2010 due to an influx of cheaper, poorer quality scarves manufactured overseas, as well as checkpoints and roadblocks that made it difficult for a small business to operate. But today, demand outpaces the number of pieces the factory is able to produce (new stock is announced on the company’s Instagram account). Hirbawi kufiya are woven on two-layer looms using a cross-stitching technique perfected over decades, with each individual scarf cut, sewn and tasselled by hand. As well as the traditional black-and-white motif, the factory produces modern patterns. The Gaza kufiya, in bright shades of green, yellow and pink, features red tassels as a nod to the chillies frequently used in Gazan cuisine; the Saoirse kufiya, in the colours of the Irish flag, celebrates the connection between Palestine and Ireland, and their shared spirit of independence. NC
Tamashee
The traditional na’al bu subu’a sandal, worn throughout the Gulf for generations, is reimagined in soft leathers in shades such as fiery orange, warm brown and indigo blue by Tamashee, with design details inspired by rock art, tribal dance and flora found across the Arabian Peninsula. Made in the region, they’re as chic paired with a kandura on the streets of Dubai as they are with a sundress on the Côte d’Azur. NC
Yahya
Artist and designer Yahya’s artworks, lamps and furniture pieces can be found in places as diverse as the Royal Mansour in Marrakech, Passalacqua on Lake Como and The Cliff in Barbados. What began as a small Marrakech atelier now employs 250 master craftsmen, engineers, draughtsmen and designers working with metal, wood, marble and more. But in spite of the scale of the production, every piece, from tabletop candleholders to monumental works such as the hand-hammered Floral Lotus sculpture in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Tunis, is still made by hand – through hammering, perforating, sawing, welding and engraving. It’s a meeting of artisanship and art, brought to life by a team that treats light itself as sculpture. NC
Sadu House
Step into the cool, calming courtyard of Sadu House, a heritage building dating back to 1936, and you’re not only entering a place of history, but also an archive of Kuwaiti craft heritage. Within its protective walls is the GCC’s largest private collection of sadu weaving, with upwards of 450 unique pieces, some dating back more than 120 years. The small on-site museum dives into nomadic Bedouin and urban weaving traditions, materials and techniques, as well as the meanings behind typical patterns. But it’s not only a journey into the past. Al Sadu Society organises workshops and courses, and there’s a rich archive of resources available for researchers and artists. Keen weavers can pick up supplies such as looms and natural Kuwaiti wool at the Sadu House boutique – as well as sadu-print basketballs and bamboo beach towels, products designed to carry the country’s craft heritage far into the future. NC
Glory RM
Motifs that typically adorn the rugs lining the alleyways of Moroccan souks are reimagined as wearable heirlooms, with ancient Amazigh symbols rendered on contemporary, oversized silhouettes. These jackets are crafted by mother-son duo Saadia Bounjema and Abdelhamid Sadki, who hope to preserve and share the spirit of their homeland through their fashion label Glory RM. Garments are covered in intricate, mosaic-style patterns that span the Berber, Andalusian and Islamic influences that have long defined Moroccan design. Patterns reflecting zellige tilework appear in bold, look-at-me hues, while chunky crochet jackets come in neutral tones, sometimes festooned with further adornment, such as roses crafted from yarn. Beyond the hand-woven styles, which are often made by Bounjema herself, the brand adapts age-old symbols and stitching techniques to appeal to younger consumers seeking slow, conscious fashion. One white denim jacket has panels of red stars, inspired by costumes worn during traditional equestrian parades. A baby pink bomber and trouser set, meanwhile, is made from a feminine tweed-like textile and emblazoned with blue woven evil-eye appliques. Pieces have travelled from the duo’s humble atelier in Morocco to global stages, Netflix screens and the wardrobes of stars such as Akon and Mohamed Ramadan. HL
