Palm-Leaf Weaving

A handicraft that weaves palm leaves into baskets and traditional wares of many shapes and sizes.

Palm Crafts

About Palm-Leaf Weaving

Palm-leaf weaving takes the fronds of the date palm, dries, splits and dyes them, then plaits them in many ways into baskets, fans, mats and food covers; each region has its own plait and pattern.

The craft grew wherever palms grew — in Al-Qassim and Al-Ahsa — practised at home for daily needs before it became a heritage and art object.

How it is made

Step 1: Gathering and drying the fronds
Step 2: Splitting and smoothing the leaves
Step 3: Dyeing the leaves
Step 4: Plaiting the strips
Step 5: Sewing the strips into shape

Tools

Awl
Knife
Dye pot

Raw materials

Palm fronds
Dyes
Water

More traditional arts

Traditional Building

Earthen Building & Gypsum Ornament

A traditional craft of adorning homes with geometric gypsum carving and ornament drawn from Najdi heritage.
Textile Crafts

Hasawi Bisht Making

A time-honoured craft of Al-Ahsa built on fine tailoring and hand embroidery in zari thread, producing a bisht that joins quality of making with beauty of detail and reflects the authenticity of Saudi heritage.
Bookbinding & Gilding

Bookbinding & Gilding

A handicraft that binds books and manuscripts and adorns them with fine gold ornament, devoted to keeping texts safe from one generation to the next.