ABU DHABI // A celebration of Emirati culture drew visitors to the opening of the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival on Thursday.
Emirati goods and professions were the mainstay of the festival, at which a replica fort was the central attraction, but there were also displays from other countries, such as Bosnia, Kazakhstan and north African and Gulf countries.
Antique vehicles and carriages ignited the imagination of guests, as did a selection of antiques from Afghanistan that dated back hundreds of years.
One of the Afghan treasures, a 550-year-old huge copper pot used to brew green tea, was being displayed by Mohammed-Daoud Ghazniwall.
The teapot, worth about Dh15,000, was used “for party times, two people had to hold it”, Mr Ghazniwall said.
He was showcasing another ancient pot – a huge stone one. As he set it on the floor and opened the lid he explained that it was used for cooking meat, which, when kept inside the pot, would stay warm for 24 hours.
“It would have taken 10 hours to cook meat in it,” he said of the 250-year-old pot worth Dh10,000.
He also showed off some blackened coins that originated in Ancient Greece, a helmet thought to come from the time of the Mogul Empire in India, and some plates of armour.
These, said Mr Ghazniwall, were worth up to Dh10,000.
In the Saudi Arabian pavilion, a woman sat on the floor sewing dolls and attaching baskets to them. “We put chocolates or nuts in the baskets for serving,” said Muhra Al Hibshi. Each doll takes about 90 minutes to make.
Alongside her was her business partner, Mawar Al Abdullah, who was sewing a plastic bag to hold tea or coffee pots. “We use plastic instead of fabric so it doesn’t get stained,” she said.
The pair began their business in Riyadh 27 years ago and it has grown to be a success story.
“The Saudi tourism authority nominated us to participate in the festival,” Ms Al Abdullah said. “We hope this will open doors for us to be known in Abu Dhabi like we are in Riyad,” she said.
In the adjacent tent at the middle of the festival, an Emirati Bedouin woman wove natural white wool. “Natural is always white or black, before they used to add colour to the white one,” said Shameya Abdulateef.
She showed the end result, which is in the shape of a wraparound satchel. “We place this around the camel’s waist,” she said. She then held out another, smaller, satchel. “We attach this to the bigger one to cover the udders of the camel if we don’t want its children to drink the milk,” she said. “That is when we need to preserve some of the milk for our own use.”
Such products cost between Dh750 and Dh1,000 “because it is natural wool”, Ms Abdulateef said.
After sunset, attendees and officials gathered in the theatre area for the opening ceremony.
After music from a marching band, a film explained the rapid transformation of the UAE under the late Sheikh Zayed, the Founding President of the UAE.
hdajani@thenational.ae
