Handweaving | Egypt

Weaving is estimated to have started in Egypt around 4000 B.C. if not earlier. Naqada, a pre-historic town on the west bank of the river Nile in Upper Egypt, which is the southern portion of Egypt, has been a weaving hub since Pharaonic times and is famous today for weaving high quality scarves on traditional hand looms.

Horizontal Loom, Tomb of Chnem-hotep, from C. R. Lepsius’ Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien (Leipzig, 1849)

In December 2020, UNESCO included handmade weaving in Upper Egypt, which includes Naqada, on the list of intangible cultural heritage sites in need of urgent safeguarding.

Master weaver selecting and preparing the color combination of the threads that will be used to weave the scarves.

Master weaver weaving a scarf on a horizontal loom.

Weaver weaving a scarf on a horizontal loom.

By partnering with weaving communities in Upper Egypt and paying fair price, Dandarah helps ensure this craft provides economic value to the talented artisans who still practice it today.

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