Traditions of Middle East
Ramadan, hospitality of coffee and dates, Shabbat, Nowruz and the hajj. 191 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی
An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreNazarnazar boncuğu
A blue glass eye amulet worn and displayed to deflect the evil eye.Folklore
🇮🇷 IranGabbehگبه
A thick, boldly simple wool rug, hand-woven by women in Iran's Zagros MountainsCraft
🇮🇷 Shiraz, Iran and 1 moreKhatamخاتم
A Persian inlay craft that builds geometric patterns from thousands of tiny cut piecesCraft
🇸🇦 Jenadriyah, Saudi ArabiaJenadriyahمهرجان الجنادرية
A two-week Saudi cultural festival of camel racing, folk dance, poetry, and craftsFestival
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreDutarدوتار
A long-necked lute crafted from wood and played across Iran and Central AsiaPerformance
🇮🇷 Tabriz, IranPersian carpetفرش ایرانی
Hand-woven knotted rugs and flat textiles crafted across the towns and tribes of IranCraft
🇸🇾 Aleppo, SyriaAleppo soapصابون غَار (ṣābūn ghar)
A hard olive-oil and laurel soap, hand-made in Aleppo and aged for monthsCraft
🇵🇸 Bethlehem, PalestineTatreezتَطْرِيز
Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery, stitched onto dresses and read for its regionCraft
🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey and 5 moreKaragöz and Hacivat
A Turkish shadow play of two quarrelling friends, acted on a lit screen behind a curtainPerformance
🇾🇪 Hadhramaut, Yemen and 1 moreJambiyaجنبية
A short curved dagger worn at the waist by Yemeni men, its handle a sign of statusDress
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreZardoziزردوزی (zarduzi)
Heavy gold and silver embroidery on silk or velvet, worked in Iran, India and beyondCraft
🇨🇾 Pano Lefkara, CyprusLefkara lace
Cut-and-stitch needle lace from two villages in Cyprus, once made for brides' dowriesCraft
🇮🇷 Tabriz, Iran and 3 morePersian miniatureنگارگری ایرانی
A tradition of small, brightly coloured paintings created for books and albums.Craft
🇮🇶 Kufa, Iraq and 5 moreArabic calligraphykhatt (خَطّ)
Artistic handwriting of the Arabic script, practiced as a sacred craft and a living visual tradition.Craft
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreArkhalig
A traditional fitted jacket worn by men and women in the Caucasus and IranDress
🇰🇼 Kuwait and 3 moreAl Sadu
A traditional Bedouin weaving craft from the Arabian Peninsula, known for geometric patterns and wool textiles.Craft
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jambiya: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khatam: Fabienkhan, Public domain, source
- Zardozi: Zarood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jenadriyah: Abodi009, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lefkara lace: Cyprus Tourism CH, CC BY 2.0, source
- Persian miniature: 13th century CE painter, Public domain, source
- Dutar: Yuet Man Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Persian carpet: Jastrow, Public domain, source
- Al Sadu: Ashley Columbus, CC0, source
- Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nazar: Alev Akın, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aleppo soap: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tatreez: Ma'moun Othman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karagöz and Hacivat: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Arabic calligraphy: Aieman Khimji, CC BY 2.0, source