Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has announced that preparations are complete to launch the weekly traditional handicrafts market under its Productive Families initiative in Souq Al Qattara, Al Ain, to coincide with the first National Traditional Handicrafts Festival running from 23-29 Oct.
More than 30 local families will showcase a wide variety of traditional products in the Market which offers visitors a convenient shopping experience, while supporting local traders and learning about deep-rooted Emirati heritage at the same time.

Emirati forefathers were particularly prolific in creating products which helped them endure an environment of limited resources, and the market allows crafters to demonstrate how modern Emirati society preserves this heritage as part of its national identity and originality.
The Productive Families initiative aims to preserve Emirati national heritage through promoting the efforts of Emirati families who have kept these traditional crafts alive at their homes, or with support of social intitiatives such as Sougha, Ghadeer and others. We hope that the Market contributes to enhancing skills, shedding more light on their products, providing financial support to continue their production and particularly boosting the role of women who are accredited with the development of many of these handicrafts, said Dr. Nasser Al Humairi, Director of the Intangible Heritage Department at TCA Abu Dhabi.

The Market is an opportunity to increase the number of families involved in the preservation of these skills, assess the status of traditional crafts and identify production processes to meet the modern artistic and functional demands, added Al Humairi, who also pointed out that the Market may be extended in the future to include more productive families and additional heritage-related activities.

Currently, the Traditional Handicrafts Market includes thirty shops built in traditional, authentic palm built lattice structures which reflect each crafts atmosphere, on the site of where nineteen small shops already exist in Souq Al Qattara, which was opened two years ago.
The Market presents a wide collection of products that have been identified by TCA Abu Dhabis Intangible Heritage department as contributing to their preservation and conservation criteria including traditional clothes, palm frond items, perfumes and incense, traditional makeup accessories, popular food and deserts, clothing supplies, swords and daggers, spice and coffee, honey, palm dates, traditional home appliances and utensils, herbs and folk medicine and others.

Each week, the market will feature an exciting array of events and activities, which according to Saeed Hamad Al Kaabi, Director of Traditional Crafts will enhance visitors understanding of the traditions on display.

We will offer Al-Ayala dance shows, educational workshops, and competitions as well as hosting school field trips throughout each day, and visitors will receive brochures explaining the importance these traditional crafts have in Emirati society, especially those related to the palm tree, being one of the abundant environmental resources around which various traditional crafts evolved.
The Traditional Handicrafts Market will be held in the historic Souq Al Qattara which reopened in December 2012.
The Market will be open to the public every weekend (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) between October and May 2015.
Market Hours
Thursdays: 8 AM 1 PM & 4 10 PM.
Fridays: 4 10 PM.
Saturdays: 8 AM 1 PM & 4 10 PM.