RIYADH: The Chinese pavilion at Banan — as Saudi International Handicrafts Week is known — offers a diverse range of traditional arts to demonstrate the country’s rich culture.
Live demonstrations of wood carving, purple clay pottery, embroidery, weaving, metalwork and folk crafts such as shadow puppetry are all taking place as part of the week’s third edition in Riyadh.
Artisans embody a philosophy that finds beauty in the details, combining respect for nature, ancient techniques and contemporary innovation. Their demonstrations reveal the intricate processes of shaping materials to tell stories passed down through generations.
The pavilion is a bridge between ºÚÁÏÉçÇø and China, with visitors invited to explore the richness of an ancient civilization and see how handicrafts serve as a universal language, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Crowds flocked to Banan on opening day, eager to enjoy more than 400 pavilions featuring artisans from more than 40 countries, demonstrating their skills in textiles, ceramics, woodwork, fine arts and more.
The Syrian pavilion attracted significant attention, highlighting Syria’s heritage through handmade copper, wooden, and textile items reflecting generations of craftsmanship.
The event coincides with the Year of Handicrafts and forms part of a national effort to support and empower artisans economically and culturally.
Banan aims to preserve the Kingdom’s intangible cultural heritage, elevate the global status of handicrafts, and establish the sector as a core element of Saudi cultural identity and sustainable development.
Organized by the Heritage Commission and running until Nov. 26, it highlights traditional crafts not only as utilitarian objects, but also as expressions of cultural values and national identity.
Across Saudi regions, crafts such as Sadu weaving, palm frond weaving, pottery, and wood and metal engraving reflect the collective memory and deep connection to the land. They reveal the spirit of the people and carry stories of ancestors and local culture. National initiatives are supporting their revival and empowering artisans to sustain this heritage.
The event also provides a platform for local artisans to show their work to an international audience, helping to integrate their products into the Kingdom’s growing creative industries ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qatt Al-Asiri pavilion offers a unique educational experience, introducing visitors to one of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø’s most important arts, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
This traditional interior wall decoration by women is explained by artist Zafran Asiri who highlights its elements, the meanings of its motifs and the significance of its traditional colors, as well as the difference between natural colors traditionally extracted by grandmothers from the environment and modern paints, such as oils.
The pavilion also presents the history of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri. Grandmothers relied on natural pigments like gypsum, clover, turmeric, indigo and other plant and mineral materials, mixed with gum arabic to create permanent geometric patterns for living spaces.
Today, Zafran Asiri’s work shows the art’s continued relevance, with rising popularity in contemporary designs for pottery, textiles, and paintings.
Many other countries are featured at Banan this year, with work on show from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, the Maldives, Bulgaria, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Georgia, Austria, Hungary, Albania, Finland, Croatia, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Mexico, the US, Australia, Nigeria and Comoros, as well as guest of honor China.
The event builds on the success of previous editions, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors. Sales in the 2024 edition alone exceeded SR2.5 million ($667,000), while international participation grew from 12 countries in the first year to 25 in the second.
Banan has received the Paris Design Award, the iF Design Award, and the BETTER FUTURE London Design Award 2025, reflecting the Heritage Commission’s commitment to supporting the cultural sector, strengthening national identity, and advancing the economic goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
