These Egyptian weavers who tell the story of rural life
In the village of Harraniya, south of Cairo, an art center is dedicated to preserving the traditional craft of handmade tapestry. Egyptian men and women are training there and giving free rein to their creativity by weaving scenes from everyday rural life, reports The New Arab.
Naglaa Farouk Radwan, an embroidery artist from the Egyptian countryside, never imagined that her tapestries and batiks [an ancient textile art] would travel the world. Her works, which evoke scenes from her village, have been exhibited in parliaments, museums, opera houses, art galleries, and even the United Nations.
The threads intertwine harmoniously, all the shades of color spread out before her. Another tapestry depicting her village takes shape. How to find creativity? The question doesn't arise; just let your imagination run wild, one thread at a time.
Naglaa grew up in Harraniya, a village near the Giza Pyramids [near Cairo]. At 11, she began accompanying her mother, Gariah Mahmoud, who was hand-weaving tapestries and batiks at the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center. She has a vivid memory of the tree beginning to take shape on her mother's loom, an exact replica of the one near their property.
It was in this creative space that Naglaa picked up a small loom and began to manipulate the threads, marking the beginning of her career in craftsmanship, almost forty-one years ago. Whenever she had a free moment
Take advantage of the special digital offer to access all of our content without limits.
Courrier International
