ABU DHABI // Children are being given the chance to learn about the country’s heritage through craft activities at the Qasr Al Hosn Festival.
The Family Workshop opened its doors to children to teach them how to weave telli, mould pottery, and print sadu patterns, with young Emirati men and women helping to teach them about their history.
Hamda Rashed taught young girls how to weave colourful telli, which can later be used on women’s clothing.
Telli is created by intertwining six strings of cotton around the “khoos” ribbon to create lines of colourful embroidery on a cylindrical pillow, which is placed on a stool called “kajuja” to keep it in place.
“I learnt 15 years ago, my mother taught me,” said Ms Rashed. “I know how to weave and sew in general. I was taught and now I teach.”
She said telli was used for traditional Emirati dresses.
“We use them in all colours – red, yellow, green. We can be creative with them,” Ms Rashed said.
Her colleague, Fatima Al Mehairbi, said more than 30 children had come to the telli section each day.
“They are mostly 10 or 12 years old or older and many expats also enjoy the craft. The place is almost always full,” she said.
Hind Obaid, 26, was at the festival to help children to print traditional sadu patterns on to shopping bags. “Sadu was the pattern used long ago on cushions. The patterns are carved on to a block, the children choose the colour they wish to use and paint the block. Then they stamp it on to the bag,” she said.
Children were also taught how to make a barma bowl from clay.
Mohammed Al Hendi explained to the children how to mould the vessels.
“A barma is a small bowl which was used to drink water from in the old days. It will take us about 30 to 45 minutes to make,” he said.
Mr Al Hendi said the pottery was the most popular activity with more than 200 children attending the class daily.
Children were given the opportunity to show off their creations in the workshop area or take them home.
The festival will run until Saturday and is open from 4pm to 11pm.
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