Mat Makers

ʿAbadan

Date: 985-91

In his Aḥsan al-taqāsīm fi maʿrifat al-aqālīm, al-Muqaddasi (d. 991) notes that the majority of the people of ʿAbadan are engaged in the production of mats … read more

Baidhat al-Nuafil

Date: 1951-58

Wilfred Thesiger (d. 2003) relates that the inhabitants of this village on the Tigris made their living by weaving reed mats in large numbers. These were exported on large … read more

Madan Region

Date: 1951-58

Wilfred Thesiger (d. 2003) photographed the pounding of cut qasab stalks and the weaving of those stalks into mats in Madan region. He also describes the process in … read more

Ramla

Date: 1951-58

Wilfred Thesiger (d. 2003) records the making of mats in this settlement. This process started the splitting of qasab canes with a curved knife by a male member of the family … read more