© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
Basketry is a time-honored tradition with relevance to societies around the world. From Asia to the Middle East, from Africa to the Americas, basketry is part of everyday life. From carrying food to storage, these traditional vessels are primarily woven by women, less so by men.
In the souqs of Arabia, colorful woven mats abound. These are made primarily in the oasis where date palm leaf fiber is used in the basic construction of most mats and basketry. The date palm leaf fiber is found in Al Hasa, home to the largest date palm oasis in the world. Grasses are used in the Asir and in the Tihama planes along the Red Sea coast, date palm fiber is also used.
While walking through the souqs, one may look in disdain wondering what use any of these mats and baskets have in today’s modern society. Yet, in many households, baskets still find a myriad of uses and are highly prized for their decorative value. My husband (in the dark blue shirt) and his JECOR colleagues certainly seem happy with their purchases following a 1986 excursion from Riyadh to the Qatif souq in search of some basketry.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
The traditional flat, circular woven mats found all over the Kingdom are often referred to as Kabsa mats, taking their name from Saudi Arabia’s National dish of rice with lamb, chicken, or camel. The Kabsa mat is placed on the floor, a platter of food is placed on top, and everyone sits around dining in the communal fashion customary when dining in many households and in the desert with Bedouin. These mats are light, easily transportable, can be rolled up like a falafel sandwich, stuck in the back of a 4x4, and are the essential item when heading to the desert, be it for a picnic or a weekend trip where there is no shortage of sand. When people are smoking hubbly bubbly or hookah, the ubiquitous mat is placed central stage where the water pipe is placed. The mats are often used in the souqs for displaying merchandise by sellers.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
But Saudi Arabia has more than Kabsa mats, the array of basketry is evident throughout the souqs. One of my most interesting finds many years ago were the chicken baskets. Chickens would be purchased and placed, with no hope of escape, into the basket to be carried home from the souq on the head of the lucky shopper.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
Another interesting form of basketry is the pyramid-shaped, incense clothing rack known as “Meshgoob”. Usually used to fumigate thobes by placing them over the rack while burning bukhoor incense beneath. The aroma wafts through the threads of the garment, ensuring the fragrance will endure the next day when worn by the man. These are still used today in households and often the ghutra, the red and white checked head covering worn by men, is placed on a smaller version of the pyramid-shaped rack. My western adaptation is to use a meshgoob to dry damp towels in my bathroom.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
In the mountainous region of the Asir, grasses are often used where date palm fiber is not always easily available. Yet, the array of colors and baskets are a feast for the eyes in this region with exquisite workmanship. One often finds baskets that have a stone pot as the base, with a woven basket lid in bright colors of red, white, yellow and black, tapering into a conical peak of leather.
These were often used for storing food, like raisins, almonds, dried figs and dates, ghee, honey, and other foods with the basket lid keeping the insects from descending into the food.
The baskets made in the Asir usually depict the surrounding architectural designs like the paintings of Al Qatt, the geometric designs found in the interior walls of Assiri homes. These designs are often associated with the traditional triangles found in the exterior walls of mud homes along with the crenelation designs on the corners of mud towers.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
There are many more simple designs of basketry work that I use for the storage of potatoes, onions, and other vegetables, particularly since night shade vegetables should be stored in a cool dark place as opposed to a refrigerator.
Easily transportable and weighing little, baskets can add another dimension to your home’s decorative appeal. They can be the decorative cover cleverly hiding the plastic pot of a houseplant, or the colorful centerpiece on your dining table. I was amazed when we were selling a home in Maryland some years ago and the stager wanted to use our Saudi basketry on various bookshelves, it being the “in thing” in household magazines at the time.
About the Author: Brid Beeler first went to live in Saudi Arabia in 1989 and stayed for a decade. Her career then led her to live and work in Yemen and Oman and work for some of the world’s top travel companies. She currently heads Brid Beeler Travel (www.bridbeelertravel.com) and travels in and out of the Kingdom regularly on tour or collaborating on programs. She has traversed every corner of Arabia and is never happier than delving into the culture and treasures of the peninsula.
Brid began taking American travelers to Saudi Arabia in 1998 and, in addition to operating tours, she has trained guides, worked on award-winning documentaries, and written extensively on the region. In 2015, she was the Tour Director for the Smithsonian tour to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, which followed their internationally acclaimed Roads of Arabia exhibit.
She has presented papers on eco-tourism in the Middle East region and was one of only a handful of women invited by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation & Development and the Supreme Commission for Tourism to speak at the first International Conference on Eco-Tourism in Saudi Arabia in 2002. She has written for Foreign Affairs and the Arab British Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she has published travel articles in Middle Eastern newspapers and spoken on Middle Eastern travel at embassy functions in Washington DC. A strong proponent of Middle Eastern art, culture and traditions, she has spoken on the ethnic silver jewelry of the Arabian Peninsula at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle.
Back home in Ireland, Brid enjoys walks on the beach with her latest saluki, Rishan.