Smithsonian - Perishable Pundit

THE OMANICRAFT HERITAGEDOCUMENTATIONPROJECTRich and diverse, the craft industriesof Oman are among the mostimportant cultural traditions in theArabian Peninsula. Until recently,however, there had been littleresearch into this subject. When.73.itbecame apparent that the rapidmodernization of the Sultanatewould challenge the survival of thecountry's craft industries, the OmaniCraft Heritage DocumentationProject was initiated in1996 by HisHighness Seyyid Shihab bin TariqAn embroiderer 15 resplendent in her own hand-stitched finery inBilad Sur. She uses silk and metallic threads from India and Asia,and silk fabric woven especially for the Omani market.SUGGESTED READINGRichardson, Neil, .ind Marcia Dorr. 2003. The Craft Heritage of ( )man.Dubai: Motivate.MARCIA STEGATH DORR earned degrees in fine arts andeducation from the University of Michigan. She taught art andestablished an interior design firm in Ann Arbor before goingto live mThe Gambia with her family in 19X3. While there shecreated a West African artisans' co-operative. In1986 she moved tothe Sultanate of Oman, where her work in cultural preservationcontinued with a United Nations project to revitalize traditionalpottery production. Ms. Dorr is presently advisor to the governmenttor the adaptive re-use ot historic torts and castlesNEIL RICHARDSON was born in London and later movedto Australia, where he graduated from the University ofWestern Australia with a degree in business and marketing.He has worked in Oman since1989, specializing in heritagemanagement and the preservation of traditional cratt industries.In addition to his work on the documentation of traditionalcraft industries, he was a co-founder of the Omani HeritageGallery, a not-for-profit organization linking traditional Omaniartisans with contemporary markets tor their products..-4// photographs courtesy of the Omani Craft HeritageDocumentation Project unless noted otherwise.Al Said. Its aim has been to identifyand document the different typesof crafts in allparts of the country.From Xhejirz (ceremonial smallbladedax) makers of Musandamto the potters of Dhufar, hundredsof craftspeople have beeninterviewed, and their techniquesand products have been carefullydocumented and photographed.An important result of thisproject, the extraordinary twovolumework, The Craft Heritageof Oman, is a tribute to Oman'sartisans and the traditions theycreate. Authors Neil Richardsonand Marcia Dorr document theorigins and development of thecountry's craft traditions andartisan communities. They providea comprehensive region-by-regionrecord of the design and productiontechniques of the many and variedcrafts found across the Sultanate.This wide-ranging catalogue ofartifacts concludes with a review ofthe changing role of craft industriesin a rapidly modernizing society,making it the most significantpublication on the traditional craftheritage of southeast Arabia.OMAN DESERT, OASIS, AND SEA