Palm tree products

The manual crafts associated with the palm tree are the best examples of how the Bahraini artisans have exploited the local environment products and harnessing them to manufacture the tools they need in their daily life activities and affairs. The palm is the tree that surrounded Bahraini man and has been and still is the source of his pride and on which he relies for food and accommodation. No old house would be without the stem, frond and leaves of the palm tree.

The Bahraini artisan has made use of every part of the palm tree and many of the crafts are based on it. The stem is used in making the roofs of mud houses owning to its strength and resistance to various weather conditions. From the palm fiber, man made sturdy ropes which are used for a variety of purposes on land and sea, while its fronds are used to make what is called al-‘arish. Many other industries are based on the palm fronds, such as the mats which are spread on houses floors. The palm leaves are used to make baskets of various types and uses, such as the al-qufah which is used to keep clothes or to hold groceries during shopping, and al-marhalah, which is usually larger in size and is used by farmers for gathering dates and vegetables for transportation to the market, and al-zabil which is smaller than al-marhalah.

The palm leaves are also used for making al-mahafah, which is a small manual fan of circular colored fronds in beautiful motifs and is used as table napkin. The industries associated with the palm tree products have a prominent place in Al-Jasra Handicrafts Center where models are in display to underscore the Bahraini strong affinity with his heritage