Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GENUINE BEDOUIN - MADE IN INDIA?
One of the highlights of the Peninsula is undoubtedly a trip to the covered souqs and bazaars, some of which (es-
pecially in Jeddah, Kuwait, Doha, Muscat and Sana'a) have occupied the same chaotic labyrinthine quarters for
hundreds of years. In these forerunners of the shopping mall, merchants sit behind piles of dates and olives, gold,
frankincense and myrrh, in small shops often no bigger than a broom cupboard. Passing in between them are the
water-sellers, itinerant cloth vendors, carters (complete with wheelbarrow in Kuwait) and carriers.
The scene (of haggling and gossiping, pushing and shoving, laughing and teasing) may not have changed much
in centuries, but many of the goods have. Mostly practical items are on offer - aluminium pans, plastic trays, im-
ports from China - but if you look hard, you can usually find items of traditional craft, even in the most modern
of souqs.
There are
kilims
(rugs) and carpets; cotton clothing including
gutras
(white head cloth),
thobes
or
dishdashas
(man's shirt dresses) and embroidered dresses; Bedouin woven bags; decorative daggers and swords; copperware
and brassware; olive and cedar woodcarvings; kohl (black eyeliner); old trunks and boxes; water pipes; em-
broidered tablecloths and cushion covers; leather and suede. But, the question is, is it real?
All tourists have seen them: the Roman coins from Syria, the Aladdin lamps from Cairo, the Bedouin jewellery
torn from the brow of a virgin bride - the stories attempt to make up for the shameless lack of authentic proven-
ance on the part of the item. While the region is home to some magnificent craft, only relatively few pieces make
their way to places like Souq Waqif in Qatar, Mutrah Souq in Oman or Bab al-Bahrain in Bahrain. The vast ma-
jority of items on sale to tourists is imported from India, Pakistan and Iran and either sold as such, or more fre-
quently passed off as 'genuine Bedouin' by less-scrupulous shopkeepers.
Architecture
Styles across the region vary so considerably, it's hard to talk about Peninsula architecture
under one umbrella - there's the multistorey mud edifices of Yemen and Southern Saudi;
the round mud huts more akin to sub-Saharan architecture on the Tihama; the
barasti
(palm leaf) dwellings of eastern Arabia; the coral buildings of Jeddah; and the gypsum
decoration of Gulf design.
In common with other arts, Peninsula architecture is traditionally steered by purpose.
The local climate plays an important role in this. The wind towers of the Gulf, for ex-
ample, not only look attractive, they function as channels of cooler air; the gaily painted
window frames of Yemeni and Asir dwellings in Saudi help waterproof the adobe. Secur-
ity is another issue: the positioning of forts around and on top of rocky outcrops in the Ha-
jar Mountains gives a foundation more solid than anything bricks and mortar might pro-
duce. And then there's the question of space: in the mountain areas of Saudi, Yemen and
Oman, whole villages appear to be suspended in air, perched on top of inaccessible
promontories, storeys piled high to save from building on precious arable land.
