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Bedouin Weaving of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbours

by Joy Totah Hilden

Portable and practical, tough and colourful, Bedouin textiles played until recent times a vital and functional part in the life of the Arab nomads. Bedouin women were expected to master the art of making entire tents as well as a wide range of rugs, saddlebags and other equipment able to withstand the rigours of the desert. They took a fierce pride in their work and produced, on the simplest ground looms, textiles that were at once hard-wearing and of vibrant aesthetic appeal. The true craftspeople of the desert, Bedouin women wove to provide the very fabric of day-to-day living.

Joy Hilden describes the weaving techniques of the Bedouin in the context of their transitional mode of life, as they adapt from their centuries-old nomadic existence to being both semi- and fully settled. She gathered her information on dyeing, spinning and weaving while living and travelling in Saudi Arabia between 1982 and 1994, extending her scope with trips to other parts of the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent Arab countries. She describes visits to Bedouin families, desert markets and urban centres where Bedouin gathered. Her work comes at a time when many tribal peoples are losing their cultural traditions and, with them, their crafts and the material of everyday life in the desert.

This is the most exhaustive study to date of the weaving methods practised by the Bedouin of Saudi Arabia. Profusely illustrated, and giving thorough instruction in techniques, Bedouin Weaving is an essential companion for collectors and connoisseurs of flat-weave textiles, the category into which Bedouin weavings fall. It is aimed both at general readers and at weavers, craftspeople in general, students, ethnographers, and museum and textile authorities. 288p, full col illus, maps, & drawings (Arabian Publishing 2010, paperback 2011)

Review Quotes

"This is a book that satisfies on so many levels whether your interest is in the Arabian Peninsula's history, geography, tribes, culture or textiles. [...] This quality book had me in its thrall from start to finish as a completely compulsive read."

Dawn Willey
Jounral of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers (Winter 2010)

"[No other book on the topic], to my knowledge, describes the research process in such a charming and illuminating way, nor covers the weaving techniques in such instructive detail. [...] Textile lovers will appreciate the wealth of coloured illustrations...and the detailed descriptions of techniques and motifs. This will be of particular interest to weavers and teachers because instructions are provided for doing it yourself. There is also a glossary of technical terms, and an Arabic-English glossary with properly transcribed Arabic terms, which will be useful to future researchers."

Shelagh Weir
The Middle East in London (October 2010)

"Hilden has produced a book for both the textile specialist and the weaving novice. Bedouin Weavings is beautifully visual and full of technical, geographical and historical facts. Focusing on Saudi Arabia and its neighbours, the backdrop to the story of weaving is fascinating, the descriptions of the weavings and the producers is superlative and transports the reader into their everyday life."

Nadine Rose
Asian Affairs journal (July 2011)

"Weavers of indigenous-style textiles or anyone interested in textile history will find this impressive work to be a thorough labor of love. [...] Hilden's passion for seeking to preserve traditions dear to her is evident throughout as she pulls the reader along in her often frustrating but ultimately successful odyssey."

Leslie Mitchell, Weavers Guild of Pittsburgh
Handwoven (Jan/Feb 2011)

"This handsome book makes a significant contribution to textile history, is an important text for the collector, curator, or craftsman, and captures the essence of Bedouin weaving as it was in the past."

Nancy Arthur Hoskins
Hali (2011, issue 168)

"[Hilden's] discussion of Bedouin life as seen through the weaver’s eyes reveals the gentle harmony they kept with the desert environment. The thorough information about the weavings photographed in the book will help collectors and archivists, and the book is also a precise and accurate guide for those who would like to make their own Bedouin weavings. It includes specific directions on weaving patterns and spinning and weaving techniques, and information on natural dyes."

Kay Hardy Cambell
Saudi Aramco World (2010)

"...an exceptionally handsome volume that is bound to be regarded as a definitive work on its subject."

Susannah Tarbush
The Saudi Gazette (2010)

"Her life-long field and Archival research are doligent and rigorous. This invaluable book provides a rich and detailed portrait of Bedouin weaving as it rapidly disappears...This invaluable book provides rich and detailed portrait of Bedouin weaving as it rapidly disappears."

Smadar Lavie, PhD
author of The Poetics of Military Occupation

Additional Praise for this Volume

"Swift modernization and the forces of globalization are hijacking nomadic lifestyles throughout the Arab world. Joy Totah Hilden's Bedouin Weaving of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbours is a book that celebrates nomadic women's textile worlds. It is also a requiem to generations-deep traditions of arts and crafts, weaving ornaments to beautify the everyday and decorate rituals of family, kin, and tribe. Hilden presents her compassionate text and spectacular photographs with the great spirit of cross-cultural humanism. Her life-long field and archival research are diligent and rigorous. This invaluable book provides a rich and detailed portrait of Bedouin weaving as it rapidly disappears. Old weavers die; the axis of young women’s life is modernity. The earthy natural fibers are being replaced with imported synthetic yarn. Hilden presents the liberating power of weaving that allows women to master a world of their own through the production of aesthetic objects. Aside from describing the weavers’ lives with dignity, spirit, and nuance, the book provides excellent hands-on instructions for cooking natural dyes and forming traditional patterns." - Professor Smadar Lavie, Ph.D., author of The Poetics of Military Occupation

About the Author

Joy Totah Hilden is an acknowledged authority on Bedouin textiles. She brings to the work her background as a teacher of art and English. Born in Jerusalem in 1935, she spent her childhood in Palestine, where she observed many crafts in action, including Bedouin weaving. Subsequently, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, and later earned Secondary Teaching Credentials in art and English. During the 1980s and 1990s, she lived in Saudi Arabia, where her husband taught English at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. Her experience with Arabic enabled her to communicate with Bedouin women about their dyeing, spinning and weaving.

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