(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

On November 1, the 11th edition of the Traditional Crafts and Industries Festival opened to the public on Saturday, November 1, at Al Qattara Souq in Al Ain.

Themed“A Journey Through Traditional Community Crafts”, the festival, which runs until November 20, is free for everyone to enter.

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The Al Ain festival is aimed at empowering artisans and family producers by highlighting their skills and creativity, supporting the objectives of the cultural sector in capacity building and creating new opportunities in innovation and product expansion.

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Interactive artworks

The festival invites visitors to experience an immersive journey along the Al Jimi Oasis and Al Qattara Oasis trails, a living heritage experience within the Al Qattara Oasis listed on UNESCO's World Heritage. This new experience is launched in celebration of Al Ain being chosen as the Gulf Tourism Capital. At the heart of the trail lies the“Manar Abu Dhabi” exhibition under the title“Your Guide: Najm Suhail,” where the exhibition reimagines light as a concept that goes beyond illumination to become memory, identity, and a navigation tool rooted in the ways of ancestors.

Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer expressed his delight in participating in the festival for the first time, pointing to his project“River of Translation” in Al Qattara, which displays local poems in Arabic and English interactively emerging from the ground. He also highlighted his work“Pulses of Light,” which transforms visitors' heartbeats into living light, blending with others to create a harmony resembling the pulse of the earth.

Immersive journey

Farah Abdulhamid, Director of Festival Development, said the festival includes four pavilions dedicated to traditional crafts and industries. The Emirati Coffee Pavilion celebrates authentic hospitality traditions through live performances and workshops, while the Weaving and Palm Fronds Pavilion reveals inherited craft techniques such as Sadu weaving and palm frond work, accompanied by hands-on experiences.

The Traditional Fashion Pavilion focuses on women's clothing, perfumes, and adornments through live demonstrations of perfume blending, incense making, and jewelry crafting.

Meanwhile, the Blacksmith and Leather Industries Pavilion showcases artisans' skills in shaping metals and tanning leather through practical demonstrations of sword and dagger making.

Additionally, the festival offers immersive experiences such as traditional games and hosts the first-of-its-kind tournament for people of determination, promoting social inclusion.

Free for everyone

The Traditional Crafts and Industries Festival opens its doors to students from 8am to 1pm, and to the public from 4pm to 11pm, with free entry for everyone.

Mona Al Kindi from Al Ain Central Library highlighted the library's diverse services, including printed and digital collections, continuous programmes, and events, stressing the 24-hour service making the library a continuously open knowledge oasis.

The festival, under the patronage of Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Representative of the Ruler in the Al Ain region, serves as a platform for cultural exchange, allowing visitors to interact with artisans through dialogues and activities that enhance cultural exchange.

“The festival has become a prominent landmark in Abu Dhabi's cultural agenda, and this edition embodies our firm commitment to preserving and celebrating Emirati heritage,” noted Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, emphasising that the festival stands“as a witness to the value of heritage in uniting us, instilling pride, and reinforcing our national identity, ensuring its sustainability across generations.”

Festival partners include the Department of Municipalities and Transport, Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, Abu Dhabi Civil Defense, Abu Dhabi Police, Tadweer Group, and the Integrated Transport Center.

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