Thursday, May 16, 2013
Al Ain: The potter’s art lives on at the historic Souq Al Qattara.
Arab Bedouins used remarkably designed durable clay pottery in their homes. Potters are still at work at the historic souq but just as artists to keep the tradition alive.
Ceramicware has been attracting tourists at the souq which has a workshop to show how potters in days gone by created their masterpieces.
“What I like about pottery is that it brings me close to nature,” said Noora Ahmad, an Emirati.
Life was difficult back then but people were more creative and natural in their lifestyle, she said.
Noora is an artist herself.
She is a painter and has also has an interest in pottery. She studied fine art that she says has brought her closer to the way of life her forefathers once led.
It’s a culture that’s alive, she said, noting that most Emiratis were still enjoying it though modernity had affected it a bit.
Souq Al Qattara, said Noora, is a cool and calm place that takes visitors into a time when life was simple and natural.
Ahmad Ali, an expatriate from Dubai, said he was delighted to spend some time at the souq.
“I was just passing through Al Qattara on the way to downtown when I overheard the traditional Arabian music and turned towards it,” he said.
Ali also enjoyed free sweets, dates, and Arabian coffee at the hospitality pavilion.
Al Qattara Oasis is one of the seven historic oases of the city. Around half a century ago, a dusty and sandy causeway wound through the thick date palm trees here. This rough road was the link between Al Qattara and Al Jimi oases.
In the middle of the last century, Shaikh Shakhbout Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a former ruler of Abu Dhabi, found an appropriate spot on the palm-lined road and established the souq. The small market was composed of individual mud built shops and soon it became a coveted shopping and meeting place for the villagers.
The discovery of oil heralded a new era of development in the area, especially when the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan became the ruler. Prosperity knocked on the villagers’ doors and their lifestyles changed rapidly. Souq Al Qattara gradually lost its charm to the modern marketplaces in the city of Al Ain. The souq was finally abandoned some 15 years ago.
Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA-Abu Dhabi) took an interest in the deserted souq restoring it to its former glory. It was reopened, but now as a tourist attraction, last year on the occasion of the UAE’s 41st National Day.
According to Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the TCA-Abu Dhabi and the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the souq played an important social and commercial role for the population of Al Ain in the early part of the 20th century. It was a typical traditional market and an important meeting point for the community to buy food and catch up with the local news.
The souq’s modern significance lies in the fact that it is a cultural and touristic asset. Traditional, heritage-rich markets have always been key tourist attractions around the world. The authority describes the historic souq as a great addition to the wealth of archaeology and heritage sites in Al Ain.
By Aftab Kazmi Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
