There is a certain beauty that can be found in all handmade objects, as they serve as a testament to a people’s culture and history as experienced today,’ says Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, president of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities in the forward for Assouline’s latest Middle East tome. Bahrain Crafts: Community, Collaboration and Cultural Heritage is the latest coffee table read by the luxury French publishing house, part of a growing collection dedicated to the region, and this time takes readers on a journey to the Kingdom of Bahrain – a tiny Gulf state comprising 50 islands, sitting between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The visually stunning Assouline book is the work of Sheikha Mariam Hisham Al Khalifa, a cultural researcher specialising in traditional fashion and textiles who has spent ten years studying and collecting craft objects. Readers are taken on an immersive journey from Bahrain’s rich past of fishing, pearling and seafaring to its thriving present day and the future preservation of these priceless crafts. Al Khalifa’s words gloriously add context to original photography by Harald Gottschalk alongside 150 illustrations.
LR: A master gallaf boatbuilder refurbishes a dhow in the Muharraq shipyard. In the past, the wooden planks of dhows were bound together with rope, but are now fastened with metal bolts;
Oud instruments produced in a Bahraini workshop.
Crafts and community have long shaped Bahrani culture, and the industry is currently undergoing a revival, generating new opportunities for creativity and development. In an increasingly globalised world,. heritage handicrafts are a direct link to history and identity, providing immense cultural value, and Bahrain’s resurgence is a testament to the Gulf’s focus on preservation. The country has a rich tradition of handicrafts that traces back many thousands of years to the Dilmun civilisation.
As a coastal culture, Bahrain produces many craft items for use at sea, from various kinds of dhow boats to cloth for sailors’ garments and fishing nets. Blessed with fresh water, Bahrain’s topography gives rise to palm groves and rush plants, from which artisans craft many styles of baskets and home furnishings, combining function with raw, tactile beauty. Other natural resources in Bahrain include mudflats for sourcing clay for pottery and gypsum for carving ornamental architectural panels. Bahrain also has a deep history of metalworking and goldsmithing, producing remarkable embroidery, jewellery and ceremonial weaponry that enhance the culture’s celebratory occasions.
The story of crafts is about people and the objects they make, about community, cooperation and a recognition of the value of a country’s cultural heritage. With informative text and original photography, this volume encapsulates the variety and depth of handicrafts practised in the kingdom of Bahrain today. Produced in association with the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, this book, will appeal to readers around the world and inspire future generations of artisans to carry forward their own cultural legacy with a renewed sense of appreciation and innovation.
Bahrain Crafts: Community, Collaboration and Cultural Heritage is available at assouline.com for $105 (about AED385).
Al Fadel Mosque in Manama, circa 1953
An artisan selects jewels for embellishing an elaborate gold necklace
Detail of a carved door featuring meandering vines, florals and sawtooth patterns, rendered in the Bu Anf Style
In a workshop, gypsum carving templates with decorative motifs from simple to intricate
Richly embroidered garments on display at the Bahrain National Museum
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