Bedouin weaving and other Jordan Shopping Tips

Most of the women work at home. The rugs are woven on the traditional ground looms, constructed of stones, sticks and other available objects.

The whole process is done by hand from the washing, carding, spinning and dying of the yarn to the finished product. The strong, heavily twisted yarn is spun on a simple hand spindle. The spinner has a distaff full of twisted bunches of sheep's wool tucked under her left arm, or in a pocket or in a bag slung over her shoulder. She holds the spindle in her right hand and turns it quickly in her open palm, guiding the stream of fleece from the distaff with her left hand. Usually the spindle twirls so fast that one barely sees it turning, just the yarn accumulating on the handle
It is this type of spindle that many Bedouin women and girls take out with them while they are watching the flocks. It is quite fascinating to watch how they continue to spin while chattering among themselves.

A traditional Bedouin loom is made of simple materials. Basically it consists of two metal or wooden bars resting against four tent stakes driven into the ground and sometimes blocked by stones. The warp yarns are wound over the bars. The flat weave of the surface is found only in rugs made according to this Bedouin technique.

When a nomad family moved the loom was easily dismantled and taken along. Each bedouin tribe has its own tradition in the designs used in its weaving; most are based on ancient patterns. Sometimes designs can be based on the markings of the animals belonging to the tribe.

The work appears simple enough until you see what is actually involved. The woman sits on the ground, pushing and pulling, beating and plucking, to create the thick dense cloth that will withstand the severe sand, wind and wear of nomadic life. All this is hard and demanding work.

Normally the looms used produce rugs something less than a meter wide. This results in panels which can be sewn or "laced" together to any width required. Some of the work is quite extraordinary.



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Theme: Local Craft
Address: See "off the beaten track" for Bani Hamida work
Website: www.jordanjubilee.com

Some popular souvenirs are the decorated sand bottles, sometimes with the most intricate designs done in the sand, with the aid of a knitting needle and a funnel! Be careful, often dyed sand is used rather than the natural sand. These coloured designs will fade fairly soon and very quickly indeed if exposed to the sun. It is better if possible to buy the bottles in Petra, where the sand used is almost always the natural sand of the rocks. These bottles and the sand in them are often referred to (by the salesmen!) as "Petra's treasure".

Prices of these bottles vary enormously according to the design and the size of the bottles. Some of the work done is quite extraordinary. Very often a stallholder will have a large bottle on display with samples of all the possible designs worked in the sand. He doesn't really want to sell this bottle, it is a "showpiece".

You can gauge the quality of the bottles on sale by the number of dishes of coloured sand nearby: a good worker might have ten or twelve different colours available.

It is strictly not allowed to chip away parts of the rocks, the stones that one often sees on sale as souvenirs are usually picked up in one of the stream beds, they get washed down after any rain. But the sand bottle makers usually have their own sources away from Petra, where they can collect larger stones of one colour to crush down and use. This crushing is hard work, especially as the finer designs are made with sand that is crushed until it can go through a very fine sieve, and resembles powder. When the design is finished, the sand is compacted until it becomes very solid, and if done properly will not move if shaken. Eventually this turns into rock again, with the design complete. Often a stallholder will have a broken bottle on show, with the design exposed to air.

A large bottle incidentally, can be turned into an attractive and original table lamp. The only problem is that it's heavy to carry home.


What To Pay: But the starting price for simple sand bottles, with or without a camel done in the sand, is around 2 or even 1JD. You can get a name written in the sand for 1JD extra. If you want something really fine, an intricate design or a large bottle, then the price can run up to 10 or 20JD or often more, sometimes much more.

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Theme: Local Craft
Website: www.jordanjubilee.com

Name of Shop: Jordan River Foundation

The Jordan River Foundation shop is a wonderful showcase of traditional handicraft, much of it in a very modern guise, and all of the very highest quality. All the items on sale are made by village women working in a variety of programmes that encourage and empower village women and their families by providing employment and fostering entrpreneurship that benefits vulnerable communities and is an agent for the most positive change.

What To Buy: The shop is a cornucopia of beautiful embroideries, textiles, small gifts such as soaps, candles, photo frames, bags, etc. Cushions, tablecloths, wall hangings, rugs, table mats, quilts and bed covers - there is something to suit every budget.

Posted by leyle

What To Pay: $2 and up, and up.
While not cheap, the items represent excellent value as the work is of the highest quality. The problem comes in trying to choose!

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Theme: Gifts
Address: Rainbow Street, First Circle, Amman
Website: www.jordanriver.jo

Name of Shop: The Sandcastle in Petra

The Sandcastle is a well known souvenir shop in Petra but has recently set up a large back room as a collection of "old things". Most of them date from between 50 and 100 years ago, and range from ethnic objects like head dresses to furniture, bowls and bibelots and carpets.

They are expensive - but no charge for looking.

What To Buy: Posted by Lulu


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Theme: Antiques