LOVE for pottery is being reignited in the country with young Bahrainis reopening factories and reinventing the craft over the last few years.
Despite obstacles including rising fuel prices, limited access to clay and Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, pottery industry has been growing in response to renewed interest in ornament and sculpture art. For some, it’s also offering an antidote to the onslaught of technology.
Since the GDN last reported on the industry in 2018, four factories that had been shut down earlier reopened their doors, bringing the national total today to 11 facilities.
“The increase in number comes as the younger generation, having retired from their jobs, reopen their father’s or grandfather’s factories,” Hussain Al Sheghael, 40, told the GDN.
Passion
He officially restarted his father’s factory in 2019.
“We are doing this out of passion for the craft and a desire to continue our parents’ traditions,” he added.
Pottery is one of the oldest industries, with archaeologists confirming its presence back to thousands of years. The craft has, however, evolved and adapted, with a wide range of styles, colours and products now available, created by young, passionate and innovative artisans who have mastered the trade from their ancestors.
Much of today’s pottery factories in Bahrain function at their traditional base in A’ali near the Dilmun mounds. They still follow traditional practices and use an old-fashioned wheel manually operated by foot to shape their goods, which are then baked in kilns to harden the clay.
The facilities have been under extreme financial pressure since the price of kerosene – a form of fuel required to fire kilns – has risen more than five-fold in the past decade.
“We had to be really creative to survive the pandemic and the rising prices,” said Abdulnabi Al A’ali, 58, who owns Delmon Pottery.
“The pandemic hit our factories hard, and the crisis was aggravated by rising prices of kerosene that shot up from BD5 per barrel to BD32. This was particularly shocking taking into account that factories consume 10 to 15 barrels a month.”
A few potters like Mr Al A’ali have reinvented the craft to cater to the needs of the modern world.
“Definitely, we have to evolve,” he said.
“We have started selling pottery with colouring tools aimed at children and intensified our social media presence for deliveries.
“I used the knowledge that I learned as an interior design undergraduate to improve, innovate and modernise the craft to recharge the industry.
“I have made chandeliers using clay. Many factories had to adjust their product line to suit the needs of the market.”
Mr Al A’ali and other artisans believe that they should be given the same support as traditional bread makers.
“Our products are sought after by tourists. The demand also rises during festivals, we have sold more than 500 small pots in a month, but there are troubled times when we manage to sell just a couple of big earthenware,” Mr Al A’ali said.
Zakria Al Sheghael, who inherited the trade from his father when he was 13, stressed the need for government support to stay afloat.
“Traditional bread has cultural value and therefore the government backs bakers,” he said. “Pottery making should be in the same category and receive the same benefits. Especially now with Covid-19 rules being eased, more tourists are interested in visiting us to experience Bahraini traditional crafts.”
Nearly a decade ago, pottery factories were on the verge of closure due to clay shortages, until an agreement was made in 2018 between the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, Northern and Southern Municipal Council with aid from Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities. It allowed each pottery factory to collect two truckloads of clay twice a year from Hunainiyah Valley in Riffa.
“The agreement was a lifeline for us and encouraged us to teach the craft to our children,” the 49-year-old added.
“However, the reality is that we still have to push for the survival of this trade and heritage.”
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