Saudi wool craft preserves artisanal heritage in Northern Borders region
Saudi wool craft preserves artisanal heritage in Northern Borders region/node/2613233/saudi-arabia
Saudi wool craft preserves artisanal heritage in Northern Borders region
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The ‘naddaf’ is an artisan who cleans, softens, and reshapes wool and cotton using traditional tools. (SPA)
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Image: SPA
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Image: SPA
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Updated 27 August 2025
Arab News
Saudi wool craft preserves artisanal heritage in Northern Borders region
The handmade products stand out for their durability, natural materials, and cultural authenticity
Updated 27 August 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: In º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Northern Borders region, the traditional craft of Al-Naddafa continues to preserve the community’s heritage, with artisans transforming wool and cotton into bedding and quilts that reflect generations of skill.
Craftsman Nidal Al-Obaid told the Saudi Press Agency that the “naddaf†is an artisan who cleans, softens, and reshapes wool and cotton using traditional tools.
The artisan then turns the materials into mattresses, quilts, and pillows, a craft that once provided comfort to locals across the region before industrial, modern alternatives arrived.
Despite the availability of ready-made products, Al-Naddafa is still practiced by locals in Arar and the surrounding governorates, SPA reported.
The region’s pastoral landscape and abundance of sheep have long ensured a steady supply of wool, sustaining the craft and embedding it in the fabric of local life.
The handmade products stand out for their durability, natural materials, and cultural authenticity, making them highly valued at heritage exhibitions and national festivals celebrating Saudi traditions, SPA added.
While some artisans now use simple machines to speed up the fluffing process, the essence of the craft remains largely unchanged.
From carefully selecting the wool to cleaning, smoothing, and stuffing it into locally woven fabrics, each step reflects both tradition and adaptation to modern tastes.
º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Heritage Commission and Ministry of Culture are working to safeguard and promote handicrafts like Al-Naddafa under Vision 2030, supporting artisans with training, development, and marketing opportunities to help turn heritage crafts into sustainable industries.
Noor Riyadh announces artists for this year’s festival of light and art
This year’s curatorial theme, “In the Blink of an Eye,†reflects the rapid transformation shaping Riyadh
Updated 05 November 2025
Nada Alturki
RIYADH: The annual Noor Riyadh, the region’s largest international festival of light and art, has announced its list of participating artists, gearing up for the 2025 launch that will run from Nov. 20-Dec. 6.
The show, curated by Mami Kataoka, Li Zhenhua and Sara Almutlaq, takes place in various hubs across Riyadh and will include 60 artworks by 59 artists, representing 24 nationalities, with 35 newly commissioned pieces.
“Noor Riyadh is defined by its artists; their ideas, their courage and their vision,†said Nouf Almoneef, festival director of Noor Riyadh. “Each work captures the city’s momentum through light, reminding us that creativity is a universal language that connects cultures and inspires dialogue.â€
Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's "Love Difference" (2025). (Supplied)
This year’s curatorial theme, “In the Blink of an Eye,†reflects the rapid transformation shaping Riyadh.
The festival will present work responding to the theme by leading international and local artists, including Saad Al-Howede, Monira Al-Qadiri, Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, James Clar, Ivana Franke, fuse*, Ayoung Kim, Shinji Ohmaki, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Muhannad Shono.
The show will also include a special installation dedicated to the work of the late Safeya Binzagr (1940–2024), a leading figure of º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s modern art movement and the first female Saudi artist to hold a solo exhibition in 1968.
Croatian artist Ivana Franke's "Center" (2024). (Supplied)
“Light is both a medium and a metaphor for transformation,†said Kataoka, the curatorial advisory lead. “‘In the Blink of an Eye’ reveals how quickly perception can shift — offering a moment to pause within the momentum of change and see beauty in what is constantly evolving.â€
The 2025 festival is led by an international curatorial team that brings together distinct perspectives on contemporary culture, whose vision connects Riyadh’s historical heart to its modern skyline and metro network. The show invites audiences to encounter light as a medium for perception, memory and momentum.
The festival’s program will have Noor Riyadh unfold across six locations this year: Qasr Al-Hokm District, King Abdulaziz Historical Center, stc Metro Station, KAFD Metro Station, Al-Faisaliah Tower and JAX District.
Saudi artist Saad Al-Howede's "Memory Melting" (2025). (Supplied)
Held under the umbrella of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Art, Noor Riyadh echoes Riyadh Art’s mission to transform the Kingdom’s capital city by sparking creativity and enriching daily lives.
Since its inception, Riyadh Art has showcased more than 550 artworks by 500 Saudi and international artists, attracting more than 9.6 million visitors and spectators through its major programs. Noor Riyadh transforms everyday public spaces into distinctive encounters, hoping to create a sense of shared wonder across communities through art.
The full list of the festival’s 2025 participating artists includes: Addie Wagenknecht (US), Abdulrahman Al-Soliman (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Abdelrahman Elshahed (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Ahmad Angawi (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Alex Schweder (US), Alexandra Gelis (Colombia and Canada), Ayoung Kim (South Korea), atelier oi + WonderGlass (Switzerland), Christian Partos (Sweden), Christophe Berthonneau (France), dies_ (Italy), Saad Al-Howede (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Edwin van der Heide (Netherlands), Encor Studio (Switzerland), Fatma Abdulhadi (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Francesco Simeti (Italy), fuse* (Italy), Guillaume Cousin (France), Hmoud Alattawi (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Iregular (Canada), Ivana Franke (Croatia), James Clar (Philippines and US), Karolina Halatek (Poland), Khalid Zahid (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Kurt Hentschlager (Austria), Laszlo Zsolt Bordos (Hungary), Loris Cecchini (Italy), Marnix De Nijs (Netherlands), Michelangelo Pistoletto (Italy), Mohammed Farea (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Monira Al-Qadiri (Kuwait), Muhannad Shono (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), n + n Corsino (France), Nebras Aljoaib (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Obaid Alsafi (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Otolab (Italy), Plastique Fantastique (Germany), Random International (UK), Rejane Cantoni (Brazil), Robert Seidel (Germany), Roman Hill (US and France), Ryoichi Kurokawa (Japan), Safeya Binzagr (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Saeed Gebaan (º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Shinji Ohmaki (Japan), Shiro Takatani (Dumb Type, Japan), Shun Ito (Japan), Six N. Five (Ezequiel Pini, Argentina), someform Studio (Germany), Studio Above&Below (UK), Tonoptik (Russia), Traumnovelle (Belgium), Vali Chincisan (Romania), Wang Yuyang (China), Wu Chi-Tsung (Taiwan), Zeitguised (Germany), Zhang Zengzeng (China), Zheng Da (China) and Ziyad Alroqi (º£½ÇÖ±²¥).
