01 June 2007
In A'ali's Pottery Village, only the clay mounds remain. It's turning into a ghost town of Bahrain's once acclaimed pottery. From 30 potters a few years ago, the numbers have dwindled to seven and now there are only five in the field.
The local artisans are leaving in search of better potentials and the Bangladeshis and Indians are now replacing them. When one considers that pottery is the indicator to the richness of a civilisation, it is imperative that the artisans are locals.
Total absence of governmental support, decline in quality of local clay and the arrival of cheaper imports have almost broken the backbone of the pottery industry in Bahrain, said Ali Abdulraheem Abdulaziz, the owner of A'ali Pottery. He should know since his tradition goes back 200 years and more, he claims.
"A'Ali once buzzed with potters' kilns and their wares found a ready market, the people of the land enjoyed this work and thus the sobriquet Pottery Village. Tourists and locals thronged to the village.
Then along came liberalisation and the entry of cheaper imports from China, Taiwan and Thailand. These factors compounded with the fall in quality of clay - the present clay source Hannaniyah has inferior clay, with too many stones in them - the prospects for this cottage industry dimmed," he added.
Pointing to gravel mingled clay he said: "This is the only gift from the government now and the texture is not right. It has to be treated before we work on it." Abdulla Salman of Delmon Pottery agreed separately on this. He said: "Good clay came from Riffa. The clay we now get is very delicate. It has to be toughened to be shaped and kiln dried. This is not like red or black mud or even like English clay.
They don't need to be toughened and can be baked in any shape."
The ramshackle workshop at A'ali Pottery bears silent testimony of a glorious yesterday. The walls are derelict and the thatched roof points to a pre-modern Bahrain. The only claim to modernity is the electric kiln, which he claims was brought eight years ago at a princely amount of BD2,500.
"How do we go ahead?," asked Abdulaziz. "I had a salary to support me for 10 long years, because we are the oldest in the business. However, over the past 10 years, I have not seen even a strand of that revenue. In the absence of any kind of governmental efforts, foreigners arriving are not aware of the Potter's village. Should there be adequate awareness, I am sure pottery will bounce back. This will sure bring back the buyers and the locals will have their jobs."
"In my shop I bake pottery that begins from small money pots that cost 200 fils and drinking jars," he added. Tribune was shown ornate water jugs priced at BD80. His shop presented fares fit for the King. Yes His Majesty The King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has his pots ordered from here." Pointing to a pot he says: "These pots were ordered for the Royal palace."
Delmon Pottery, only a stone's throw away presented a similar situation. The pottery ware in both these shops proved once again that pottery is the stamp of a civilisation, preserved for posterity even under the desert sands.
Salman of Delmon showed seals of a Bahrain once called Dilmun (from which his shop gets its name). He also presents another seal of how traders fought off poverty with trading in dates palms for animals. His shop is more of lights and seals, unlike A'ali Pottery.
Only government promotions will help the industry survive, says Adel Setri, councillor for the area.
In A'ali's Pottery Village, only the clay mounds remain. It's turning into a ghost town of Bahrain's once acclaimed pottery. From 30 potters a few years ago, the numbers have dwindled to seven and now there are only five in the field.
The local artisans are leaving in search of better potentials and the Bangladeshis and Indians are now replacing them. When one considers that pottery is the indicator to the richness of a civilisation, it is imperative that the artisans are locals.
Total absence of governmental support, decline in quality of local clay and the arrival of cheaper imports have almost broken the backbone of the pottery industry in Bahrain, said Ali Abdulraheem Abdulaziz, the owner of A'ali Pottery. He should know since his tradition goes back 200 years and more, he claims.
"A'Ali once buzzed with potters' kilns and their wares found a ready market, the people of the land enjoyed this work and thus the sobriquet Pottery Village. Tourists and locals thronged to the village.
Then along came liberalisation and the entry of cheaper imports from China, Taiwan and Thailand. These factors compounded with the fall in quality of clay - the present clay source Hannaniyah has inferior clay, with too many stones in them - the prospects for this cottage industry dimmed," he added.
Pointing to gravel mingled clay he said: "This is the only gift from the government now and the texture is not right. It has to be treated before we work on it." Abdulla Salman of Delmon Pottery agreed separately on this. He said: "Good clay came from Riffa. The clay we now get is very delicate. It has to be toughened to be shaped and kiln dried. This is not like red or black mud or even like English clay.
They don't need to be toughened and can be baked in any shape."
The ramshackle workshop at A'ali Pottery bears silent testimony of a glorious yesterday. The walls are derelict and the thatched roof points to a pre-modern Bahrain. The only claim to modernity is the electric kiln, which he claims was brought eight years ago at a princely amount of BD2,500.
"How do we go ahead?," asked Abdulaziz. "I had a salary to support me for 10 long years, because we are the oldest in the business. However, over the past 10 years, I have not seen even a strand of that revenue. In the absence of any kind of governmental efforts, foreigners arriving are not aware of the Potter's village. Should there be adequate awareness, I am sure pottery will bounce back. This will sure bring back the buyers and the locals will have their jobs."
"In my shop I bake pottery that begins from small money pots that cost 200 fils and drinking jars," he added. Tribune was shown ornate water jugs priced at BD80. His shop presented fares fit for the King. Yes His Majesty The King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has his pots ordered from here." Pointing to a pot he says: "These pots were ordered for the Royal palace."
Delmon Pottery, only a stone's throw away presented a similar situation. The pottery ware in both these shops proved once again that pottery is the stamp of a civilisation, preserved for posterity even under the desert sands.
Salman of Delmon showed seals of a Bahrain once called Dilmun (from which his shop gets its name). He also presents another seal of how traders fought off poverty with trading in dates palms for animals. His shop is more of lights and seals, unlike A'ali Pottery.
Only government promotions will help the industry survive, says Adel Setri, councillor for the area.
Alexander M Arrackal
© Bahrain Tribune 2007
