The Bedouin Women

The unique embroidery, beading and weaving work of the Bedouin women was once strongly embedded in everyday life. Designs, motifs and the materials used reflected their nomadic desert life. Typically, the handicraft skills would be passed down through the generations from mother to daughter. Time would be set aside, after completing daily chores to embroider and bead belts, clothes and other decorative objects, as well as weave tents, rugs and household items.

Females would gather together for this not only as a functional process but a social event too. It would not be uncommon for one woman to pick up the work of another and continue where she left off. In this way, skills and techniques were freely shared amongst the whole tribe.

Nowadays, most of these handicrafts are designed to generate an income and supply tourists with special mementos from this area. Bedouin Craft is keen to refresh old traditions which will not only help the women of the Sinai region to become more financially independent, but allow them even in these modern times, to continue teaching newer generations the special techniques of yesteryear.

The Bedouin handicraft culture continues to survive in the Sinai region and although items such as the traditional belts, headdress and burqas are not so commonly crafted these days, the time-honoured motifs and designs passed down through the generations are incorporated into more modern functional products. 

A wide range of bags and purses, scarves, cases and holders of many kinds and cushion covers etc are created from beads and/or ancient embroidery patterns. You can see here some examples of the exquisite workmanship and sumptuous colours.

All the ornamentations are hand stitched; that we can guarantee. It is also our policy at Bedouin Craft to return at least 75% of the profit made on each product to the women who made it.

We place great emphasis on making high quality products and only charging the most reasonable prices in order that we can maintain the flow of work as much as possible