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The opening of the Bani Jamra Naseej Factory in the village renowned for its textiles has given artisans a new hope – of weaving threads of tradition into the future of the kingdom.
The new factory, which will also serve as a storefront for their wares and an educational centre for locals, tourists and aspiring weavers, opened last week after being in the works for two years.
“This new centre, courtesy of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, is exactly what the village needed, at this time,” Habib Al Jamri, one of the village’s weavers, told GulfWeekly.
“Now we will be able to receive more guests and with the two extra looms, produce even more products which can be showcased across Bahrain and the region.
“It will also encourage the next generation of weavers, like my nine-year-old son, Mahdi, who is now excited to learn these skills.
“I believe there will be a bright future for the craft and within four or five years Mahdi will be able to teach others.”
The 34-year-old has been following in the footsteps of his forefathers and hopes to see Bani Jamra once again become the hub of textile craft in the kingdom.
At one time, the village boasted more than 50 looms, one in almost every house, with 75 per cent of residents involved in the craft.
However, for the last two decades, the village has shared one loom, as younger generations are wooed away by jobs in oil and finance.
“Preserving handicrafts and traditional industries is one of Baca’s priorities,” Baca president Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said at the inauguration of the factory.
“We are pinning our hopes on creators and innovators who contribute to culture by continuing to operate in an ancient tradition such as weaving, which dates back more than a century in this region.”
At the inauguration, it was easy to appreciate how Mahdi could one day carry the tradition of textile-craft forward as he navigated the loom, shooting the shuttle back and forth across the threads to get the pattern just right.
There is growing interest amongst local and regional designers to use fabric weaved by Bani Jamra’s artisans in their designs.
Mhairi Boyle is a Scottish designer who has been working with Habib, generating new ideas to use traditional methods with new concepts such as different gaps and thickness to create more exciting fabrics.
She has been importing luxury wool from Scotland and hopes to replicate the success of the country’s hand-woven goods industry in Bahrain.
“I have been working with Habib to create natural textiles with linen and Scottish wool to blend the two cultures and create something unique,” the 23-year-old designer told GulfWeekly.
“The whole idea is create products that are fully natural with no chemicals involved, while having a more contemporary look that is also sustainable.
“I think that with the opening of this factory, we are going to see growing interest in the industry as more visitors and locals can come and appreciate the intricacy of this process and how it is much better than the fast fashion, which is the norm in the market right now.”
The centre is open to the public from Saturday to Thursday 8am to 1pm in the morning and from 3pm to 5pm in the afternoon.
