Global Artisans Spotlighted During Prestigious Handicrafts Week
Saudi International Handicrafts Week Showcases Diverse Traditional Arts from Around the World
RIYADH: The Chinese pavilion at Banan — Saudi International Handicrafts Week — highlights a diverse range of traditional arts, showcasing China's rich cultural heritage.
Live demonstrations include wood carving, purple clay pottery, embroidery, weaving, metalwork, and shadow puppetry, illustrating the detailed processes by which artisans craft objects that tell stories passed down through generations.
The pavilion serves as a bridge between Saudi Arabia and China, inviting visitors to explore the ancient civilizations' shared appreciation for handicrafts.
On opening day, crowds flocked to Banan, where over 400 pavilions from more than 40 countries featured artisans demonstrating skills in textiles, ceramics, woodwork, fine arts, and other crafts.
The Syrian pavilion garnered significant attention, featuring handmade copper, wooden, and textile items that exemplify the generations of craftsmanship within Syria's heritage.
The event coincides with the Year of Handicrafts, part of a national initiative aimed at economically and culturally supporting artisans.
Banan aims to preserve Saudi Arabia's intangible cultural heritage, elevate the global status of handicrafts, and establish them as integral components of Saudi cultural identity and sustainable development.
Organized by the Heritage Commission from November 15-26, the event focuses on traditional crafts not only for their practical use but also as expressions of cultural values and national identity.
Saudi artisans showcase unique crafts such as Sadu weaving, palm frond weaving, pottery, and wood and metal engraving that reflect the collective memory and deep connection to the land.
National initiatives are supporting these craft's revival and empowering artisans to sustain this heritage.
The event also facilitates local artisans' interaction with an international audience, promoting their integration into Saudi Arabia's growing creative industries ecosystem.
The Al-Qatt Al-Asiri pavilion offers an educational experience focused on one of Saudi Arabia’s most important arts, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Artist Zafran Asiri explains the traditional interior wall decoration techniques, highlighting natural pigments traditionally extracted from the environment compared to modern paints.
This year's event features artisans from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Maldives, Bulgaria, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Georgia, Austria, Hungary, Albania, Finland, Croatia, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Mexico, US, Australia, Nigeria, Comoros, and guest of honor China.
Sales in the 2024 edition exceeded SR2.5 million ($667,000), with international participation increasing from 12 countries in the first year to 25 in the second.
Banan has been recognized with prestigious design awards such as the Paris Design Award, iF Design Award, and BETTER FUTURE London Design Award 2025, reflecting the Heritage Commission's dedication to supporting the cultural sector, strengthening national identity, and advancing Saudi Vision 2030's economic goals.
Live demonstrations include wood carving, purple clay pottery, embroidery, weaving, metalwork, and shadow puppetry, illustrating the detailed processes by which artisans craft objects that tell stories passed down through generations.
The pavilion serves as a bridge between Saudi Arabia and China, inviting visitors to explore the ancient civilizations' shared appreciation for handicrafts.
On opening day, crowds flocked to Banan, where over 400 pavilions from more than 40 countries featured artisans demonstrating skills in textiles, ceramics, woodwork, fine arts, and other crafts.
The Syrian pavilion garnered significant attention, featuring handmade copper, wooden, and textile items that exemplify the generations of craftsmanship within Syria's heritage.
The event coincides with the Year of Handicrafts, part of a national initiative aimed at economically and culturally supporting artisans.
Banan aims to preserve Saudi Arabia's intangible cultural heritage, elevate the global status of handicrafts, and establish them as integral components of Saudi cultural identity and sustainable development.
Organized by the Heritage Commission from November 15-26, the event focuses on traditional crafts not only for their practical use but also as expressions of cultural values and national identity.
Saudi artisans showcase unique crafts such as Sadu weaving, palm frond weaving, pottery, and wood and metal engraving that reflect the collective memory and deep connection to the land.
National initiatives are supporting these craft's revival and empowering artisans to sustain this heritage.
The event also facilitates local artisans' interaction with an international audience, promoting their integration into Saudi Arabia's growing creative industries ecosystem.
The Al-Qatt Al-Asiri pavilion offers an educational experience focused on one of Saudi Arabia’s most important arts, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Artist Zafran Asiri explains the traditional interior wall decoration techniques, highlighting natural pigments traditionally extracted from the environment compared to modern paints.
This year's event features artisans from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Maldives, Bulgaria, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Georgia, Austria, Hungary, Albania, Finland, Croatia, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Mexico, US, Australia, Nigeria, Comoros, and guest of honor China.
Sales in the 2024 edition exceeded SR2.5 million ($667,000), with international participation increasing from 12 countries in the first year to 25 in the second.
Banan has been recognized with prestigious design awards such as the Paris Design Award, iF Design Award, and BETTER FUTURE London Design Award 2025, reflecting the Heritage Commission's dedication to supporting the cultural sector, strengthening national identity, and advancing Saudi Vision 2030's economic goals.
