Handicrafts in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region
Handicrafts in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, these are the handicrafts and manual industries for which Makkah Al-Mukarramah is famous in Western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They came into existence to meet the needs of the region's residents by utilizing the raw materials available in the region's nature and environment. These crafts have been passed down through generations as cultural heritage of the region's people.
Craft of distilling Taifi Rose in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Due to the abundance of rose production in Taif Governorate of Makkah al-Mukarramah, the craft of distilling the Taifi rose and producing natural perfumes and extracting rose oil emerged, an ancient craft that is centuries old. This craft produces three products: distilled rose water, which is ordinary non-concentrated rosewater, and "Bride's Water," which is concentrated rosewater, and the most expensive, rose oil.
The first stage of distilling Taifi rose is planting the rose tree in the mountains of Al-Hada and Al-Shafa, and Talhat, Wadi Muharram, and the regions of Tuwairaq and Al-Mukhadah in early January. On the tenth day of Aries (spring season), the Taifi rose starts blooming for a period between forty and fifty days, so the rose tree is laden with flower buds, and every day the buds bloom and flower gradually in small quantities, where the second stage begins with picking the blooming roses daily, which are picked and collected early in the morning, placed in cloth bags moistened with water until weighed, then packed again in bags made of cloth, to be transferred to the distillation factory. The process of distilling rose water and extracting oil goes through several stages done in a device called an "ambiq", a copper pot of various sizes, with the smallest holding between ten thousand and fifteen thousand roses; the medium holding between fifteen thousand and twenty thousand roses; and the large one holding between twenty thousand and twenty-five thousand roses, all boiled at a high temperature.
The pot's lid is considered the most important part of the lab in the process of producing rose water, made of pure copper, and is spherical and hollow inside, receiving steam rising from the pot and transforming the steam into water droplets. It then expels air from the pot through a cooling tube made of copper or stainless steel, to transfer distilled water and rose oil from the lid to the elbow that transfers the distilled water and rose oil from the tube to the "Teleqiyah" or "Jumdanah", a container made of glass with various sizes, collecting distilled water and rose oil through the elbow. The distillation process takes between three and four hours, depending on the size of the "Teleqiyah", then the oil is drawn from the "Teleqiyah" using a syringe made of glass, to filter rose oil from the "Bridal Water".
Craft of manufacturing rings and ornaments in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Among the handicrafts that have emerged in Makkah Al-Mukarramah; is the manufacture of rings and jewellery, engraving on them, and crafting them, a profession inherited by several families in the region. Silver is one of the metals from which rings are made. This industry also relies on gemstones, such as: Yemeni agate, Spring Gemstone, Solar Glory Agate, Sinai turquoise, topaz, Indian Sulaimani, Bloodstone, Peacock Stone, and Brazilian emerald.
Rings are shaped and polished starting from cutting them with special saws, placing them in moulds, then heating them to melt them, after which they are placed in drawing machines, where samples are formed to facilitate their crafting, and making the base and the ring's shank which is soldered from top and bottom to increase the base's cohesion with the shank. After the soldering process is complete, it is polished, then the mould is prepared, engraved on its sides, and the gemstone secured within the mould and polished with a special machine to increase its beauty and shine.
Craft of manufacturing traditional Egal in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Makkah al-Mukarramah, specifically Taif Governorate, excelled in the craft of Al-Egal manufacturing, specifically the embroidered Egal known as "Faisal Egal" because King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was famous for wearing it. This Egal is the successor to the fabric turban that was previously worn around the head, as well as the shufcah Egal which nearly faded after the predominance of the black Egal. Taif Governorate is the most notable in the craft of Egal manufacturing and weaving. The embroidered Egal resembles the shufcah Egal, but its knots are smaller, consisting of strands between its knots, with gold-coloured zari threads and more wrap.
Craft of copper engraving in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
The craft of engraving on copper is one of the ancient crafts in Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, associated with decorating the walls of mosques, schools, houses, and palaces in Arab Islamic civilization. The engraver starts the decoration and engraving process by selecting the shape of the desired vessel, where engravings are drawn using special steel engraving pens, with the help of a hammer and anvil, then the piece is well cleaned to its original state. The area intended for engraving is covered with a waxy substance that is acid-resistant, allowing the engraver to etch with a sharp pen on the wax after defining the desired shape; this lets the acid reach the metal surface over the scratch.
The engraver uses the flexible and shapeable lines and letters as a means to decorate the star-shaped dishes, engraving its sides with Quranic verses or well-known phrases or lines of poetry on a background of plant motifs that help highlight the linear engravings and add beauty to them. The star-shaped dish is composed of a star-shaped element in the centre, known as the "shield", surrounded by a group of geometric units called "almonds", around which a larger and more numerous set of geometric elements called "candates" intertwines.
Craft of leatherworking in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
The craft of leatherworking in Makkah Al-Mukarramah is linked to leather, the primary material for a saddler or cobbler, who stitches leather and transforms it into usable tools. Several leather products are made, including shoes, for which the region is famous for producing Makkawi, Qassimi, and Hasawi shoes, as well as sandals, milk pouches, and bandolier tents, along with regular belts and weapon belts equipped with features for storing bullets, in addition to fat containers and leg braces. The saddler uses various tools, such as scissors, awls, and sewing machines.
Other handicrafts in Makkah Al-Mukarramah
In Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, there are other crafts, such as: weaving traditional clothes by hand, pottery, palm weaving, repairing rifles, sharpening knives and scissors, ceramics, jewellery, saddlery, miswak production, and leather belts, in addition to crafting prayer rugs that are handwoven, producing some souvenirs such as Qur'ans gilded with gold and silver, and also producing various types of perfumes and incense, as well as the embroidery and weaving of fur, reed, wool spinning and weaving, hand embroidery, and manual knitting and sewing, along with weapons crafting by hand, such as daggers and swords.
Among the crafts of Makkah Al-Mukarramah region is also construction and carving decorations using wood, stone, lime, and bricks, as well as manual carpentry (woodworking) for producing furniture. Following them are the "carvers", who are responsible for decorating what the carpenters produce by carving on the wood and creating ornaments. Notable products of Makkah carpentry include: windows, doors, lofts, cornices, ceilings, stairs, as well as the craft of metalwork involving: tin, iron, and copper, alongside making rosaries (particulate), and jewellery, such as gold, silver, bangles, bracelets, and earrings, along with other industries from palm products, and palm fronds to produce bread pans, bird cages, baskets, canopies, mats, ropes, and tape chairs made of palm fibre, in addition to pottery that produces drinking vessels, flasks, coffee cups, jars, barrels, pots, and incense burners.