Khawla Ali (Dubai)
Within the “Sustainability House” in the Green Zone, at the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Expo City Dubai, visitors enjoy a live display of the Sadu craft, presented by highly skilled craftsmen, on a journey towards sustainable collective progress in the UAE, and within interactive activities and cultural programmes. In cooperation with local organizations.
“Sustainability House” tells the story of the UAE, which is rooted in the field of sustainability, and the ingenuity of our ancestors in adapting nature and exploiting its limited resources for their livelihood.
Heritage icon
“Sadu” is one of the traditional craft industries that continues to attract the attention of experts and those concerned with heritage. Due to its cultural and historical value, it is a profession that reveals an important stage in the history of craftsmen in the region and the extent of their ability to adapt environmental materials and transform them into crafts capable of meeting their needs under difficult and arduous living conditions. Therefore, Al-Sadu is considered a heritage icon present in many local and international forums, reflecting the culture and heritage of a society.
Oldest industries
Regarding Sadu as a heritage value, Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei, an oral history researcher, points out, saying, “Sadu is an art of traditional weaving and a form of weaving sheep’s wool, camel hair, and goat hair, to create geometric designs that reflect the surrounding environment. This industry has entered into the weaving of clothes, hair houses, camel gear, and pillows.” Colored floor mats, carpets and mats are considered one of the most ancient and ancient embroidery industries, as a profession inherited from grandmothers that requires a long time. It is one of the difficult crafts and one of the roots rooted in the heritage of Bedouin tribes, generation after generation.
Colors of nature
Regarding the details of the Sadu piece, Al Mazrouei explains that the Sadu is a ribbon embroidered with colored threads between red, black and green, along with silver threads intermingled with the colors of nature, as well as inscriptions, decorations, shapes and symbols that are influenced by the desert, and feature flat grasslands, sand dunes, palm trees and flowers. Camels, sheep, falcons, Qur’anic verses, mosques, elements of social and religious life, and also animals such as sheep, falcons, and some desert reptiles, as women were creative in weaving sadu with its beautiful colors after dyeing it.
“Al-Habbab” engraving
Al Mazrouei adds that one of the simplest Sadu decorations is the “grain” or “grain” pattern, which represents the grains of rice, barley, or wheat that the people of the desert use in their food. This pattern often appears on both sides of a piece of Sadu in the form of short horizontal lines side by side. The colors white and black, or red and black, or orange are repeated alternately. The Sadu has many and varied patterns and geometric shapes, such as the triangle, and it is called the “Triangle of Al-Awirjan.” There is also the “Tree Pattern,” which is considered one of the most beautiful patterns, although it requires precision, focus, and a long time to weave it. It represents a ribbon. It is made of longitudinal decorations and is often woven into the middle of pieces of decorated fabric, especially cushions or bedspreads, “Ain al-Ghadir” and “Darb al-Hayya.”
Historical value
Al Mazroui pointed out, saying: Due to the importance of this craft and its cultural status, it was documented in 2011 on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, which confirms that Sadu is not just a type of traditional weaving, but rather an essential part of the lives of the people of the desert and the details of their livelihood. It was used to prepare tents, sew blankets, pillows, floor mats, and decorations for camel trekking. As a result of Sadu’s valuable status, it had to be passed on to future generations as an ancient heirloom, reflecting the ingenuity of the ancients in adapting to their natural environment. It was of the interest of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him. , with traditional crafts, the impact of the opening of a center for traditional and handicrafts in 1978, under the supervision of the General Women’s Union, in addition to the opening of workshops for tally, pottery, hand embroidery, spinning, and palm fronds, which prompted associations, heritage centers, productive families, institutions, and people to participate in reviving these types of activities. Many entities have also emerged that are interested in this craft and making it global, such as the Khalifa Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanitarian Work, the Al Ghadeer Crafts Project, one of the projects of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, and the Sharjah Institute for Heritage Revival.
Modern touches and everlasting presence
Maryam Al Mazrouei explained that Sadu has become characterized by cotton threads and bright colors, with additions that help spread it, sustain it, and produce it in a creative way, with modern designs and touches. It also witnessed the addition of embroideries on silk pieces to decorate the abaya, handbag accessories, and mobile phone covers, as well as decorations, furniture, pillows, paintings, bedspreads, and tools. Clerical work, so that Sadu remains one of the Bedouin professions that must be protected from extinction.
Al Mazrouei pointed out that the Sadu craft is present in all events, as it was present at Expo 2020 in Dubai, and in the 52nd “Union Day” celebrations of the United Arab Emirates, through beautiful traditional singing about Sadu weaving in a simulation of the nation’s ancient legacy and the legacies of the past. The beautiful one.
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