ASIR: Perched atop the Souda Mountains in the Abha region of Asir province in southern Saudi Arabia is a modest museum created by an Asiri woman called Halima Asiri. Passionate about old Saudi heritage, Asiri established the Tahlel Museum in a small traditional house. It includes many heritage pieces, including coins, traditional costumes, wood art, and agricultural tools.
It also includes her artistic works of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, geometric shapes, and tribal symbols painted in vibrant colors. “This is my small museum, where I exhibit the work of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, a kind of natural color painting that have been certified by UNESCO as part of the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Each pattern has a name and a symbolic meaning.
Men do not practice this art, thus women are the only ones who specialize in it,” Asiri told Arab News. Asiri is one of the few women who still uses natural materials to create the art of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri. These colors are extracted from coal, rice, turmeric, pomegranate peel, stones and other sources.
“I take 24 colors from nature, such as clover, coal, stone, and leaves, grind them into a paste, and use that paste to paint canvases and walls,” she said. Ancient coffee and teapots, clay cups, copper household utensils, and other artifacts are on display in one of the rooms. “The handcrafted items found here date back to 400-500 years, and the people of the Asir region used them all,” Asiri said.
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