Herfah Association
Herfah is a multi-purpose cooperative association, established in 2008 in Buraidah, Al-Qassim region in the central of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which preserves the heritage in Saudi Arabia, develops it in a contemporary style and high quality, and maintains its identity and originality, by empowering and training craftsmen and craftswomen.
Objectives of Herfah
Herfah aims to preserve, document, and transfer craft legacies from generation to generation, employ craftsmen and women, supervise and organize their work, provide guidance, advice and technical services to craftsmen, designers and manufacturing families, implement craft, production and artistic projects, find funding channels to secure the requirements of craft production processes, and pay attention to empowering craftsmen and ensuring their continuity and inheriting their skills for future generations.
Crafts in Herfah
Herfah embraces a bundle of traditional handicrafts, such as: Sadu, Palm frond weaving ('al-Khaws'), pottery, zari, and embroidery.Some of its products include: Sadu products, zari products, Palm frond weaving ('al-Khaws'), pottery products, embroidery products, and gifts.
The association oversees the participation of productive families in festivals held in Al-Qassim region and markets their products, and there are sales outlets through large commercial complexes in a number of Saudi cities, as well as organizing introductory and marketing evenings for productive artisanal work.
Institute of Crafts and Handicrafts
The Institute of Crafts and Handicrafts is a specialized institute that specializes in training in traditional handicrafts of various types in Saudi Arabia. The institute was established on July 3, 2013.
The institute is concerned with transferring crafts from grandparents and parents to modern generations, in addition to developing these crafts to enrich and preserve the Saudi heritage.
Logo of Herfah
As the first association recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to preserve the craft of Sadu and embroidery in Saudi Arabia, Herfah's logo symbolizes the drawing of Sadu, as an association concerned with this craft since its establishment. Herfah's logo is a modern pattern that symbolizes the evolution of the craft according to the developments of the times while retaining the original identity.
Herfah's awards
In 2011, the association received the International Organization for Standardization (Iso) award, in 2012, it received the Saudi Post Award, and in 2022, the association received the award for the most growth in women's participation.
Herfah also won the European Commission Award (Chaliot) to protect the rights of craftswomen 2010, the Tourism Excellence Award 2011, the HACCP certificate in food safety 2011, UNESCO recognition as the first Saudi NGO concerned with heritage and preserving it globally 2011, the Aman Fund Award to support craftswomen and productive families, the Saudi Post Success Partners Award 2012, three awards in tourism excellence for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, and the Princess Seetah Bint Abdulaziz Award for Excellence in Social Work 2013.
Achievements of Herfah
From its establishment until the middle of 2024, Herfah organized 283 training courses and ninteen workshops, presented by 184 trainers, from which 9370 male and female trainees benefited. Among the association's achievements are the opening of the Herfah Café in 2011, the launch of the national campaign to support productive families and preserve heritage "Herfah Watan", in addition to documenting the craft of embroidery in Al-Qassim region, types of stitches, and their shapes, and registering them as intellectual property at the level of the Arab world.
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Table of contents
Info Box
- Name
- Herfah Association.
- Classification
- An association concerned with traditional craftsTraditional crafts in Saudi Arabia.
- Date of establishment
- 2008.
- Location
- Buraidah city, Al-Qassim region.
- Objectives
-
Preserving the craft heritage Documenting them and transferring them from generation to generation.
Employing artisans and craftsmen, andSupervising and organizing their work.
Implementing craft projectsProduction and artistic projects. - Some of the crafts in the association
-
Sadu.
Palm frond weaving ('al-Khaws')
Pottery
Zari.
Embroidery.
Table of contents
Info Box
- Name
- Herfah Association.
- Classification
- An association concerned with traditional craftsTraditional crafts in Saudi Arabia.
- Date of establishment
- 2008.
- Location
- Buraidah city, Al-Qassim region.
- Objectives
-
Preserving the craft heritage Documenting them and transferring them from generation to generation.
Employing artisans and craftsmen, andSupervising and organizing their work.
Implementing craft projectsProduction and artistic projects. - Some of the crafts in the association
-
Sadu.
Palm frond weaving ('al-Khaws')
Pottery
Zari.
Embroidery.