painting on glass

Sand Art

Sand art is a popular souvenir handicraft item. Local sand is dyed and skillfully poured into glass bottles of all shapes and sizes to create illustrations of local landscapes, wildlife, or words and sayings. You may even have your name etched in sand for a lasting reminder of your visit to Madaba.

Jewelry

Handmade silver jewelry is traditionally worn by Bedouin women. This craft has been revived in Madaba with universal appeal.  Replicas of traditional designs and custom-made jewelry are popular.

Mosaics - Madaba Handicrafts

Artisanship still thrives in this small, historic city; hub of religion and trade. Today, Madaba offers a range of beautifully handcrafted items inspired by the history and natural environment of Madaba and its surroundings.

Shops along the Artisan Street in Madaba offer unique, authentic handicrafts. Madaba is most famous for mosaics and colorful, hand-woven carpets, but there is much more to see than that. Take the time to walk along the street and you will see local craftspeople and artists in the process of production. Madaba is one of the only places in the world where you can witness the making of mosaics and purchase products handmade in Jordan.

. The pieces are all decorated with mosaic tiles. The great jar shows a cobra climbing up and around it to drink the water supposedly inside. The many mosaic tiles on the right show details of well known mosaics in and around Madaba.

The vase is a direct copy of the very famous and memorable mosaic in the church at Mount Nebo. This mosaic is also very often to be found copied as a rug.

Carpet Weaving

This is a traditional ground loom being used to weave a carpet.

Note the rolled finished length of carpet behind the weaver

Sheep’s wool, and goat and camel hair are used by Bedouin tribes and villagers all over Jordan to produce rugs, bags, and other beautiful items. Traditionally the entire process is done by hand; from the washing, carding, spinning and dying of the yarn to the finished product. The Bedouin style of weaving is unusual in that it produces "warped face rugs" unlike the traditional "weft" rugs. Warped face rugs are preferable for their high-density and signature texture. Most weavers in Jordan purchase their raw materials from Madaba. The Bani Hamida rugs, produced by the locals of the Bani Hamida Mountain 35km away from Madaba city, are most famous.

The history of Jordanian traditional crafts

Traditional handicrafts in Jordan have been passed down over many generations, from a time when all Jordanians met their domestic needs by weaving their own rugs and making their own earthenware and utensils. A rich cultural melange of Arab and Islamic imagery is reflected in Jordanian crafts, which include handmade glass, earthenware, basket and rug weaving and embroidery. Crafts produced on a smaller scale include sand bottles, sculpture and silver jewellery.

There is no mistaking the fact that Jordan is a Kingdom steeped in history and culture. From the moment you arrive, you get a sense of its rich heritage; all around are remnants of ancient civilizations long since passed, yet they still remain, stamped into the very fabric of this amazing Kingdom and etched into the soul of the people who live here. 

There is no real tradition of artisanal crafts in Jordan. Historically people made what was needed by themselves  and did not trouble with organising it. Only recently has there been any attempt at this, largely to provide some sort of income for the rural women, many of them who live in the most complete poverty.