UNESCO Curates Culture While Traditions Fight to Survive
The UN’s cultural agency, Unesco, has added seven Middle Eastern traditions to its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, turning living practices into catalog entries while globalization keeps grinding away at them. The list includes the majlis, Turkish coffee culture and tradition, the cultivation of the Damascene rose, the Palestinian hikaye, tahtib in Egypt, Bedouin chanted poetry in the UAE and Oman, and wedding costumes in Algeria.
The Heritage Bureaucracy
Unesco says the list is meant to highlight the importance of these customs and encourage their preservation. The agency has protected practices ranging from traditional foods and crafts to poetic forms and martial arts. The result is a neat international filing system for culture, with the usual promise that recognition will somehow keep things alive.
A majlis is a sitting area, traditionally carpeted and with cushions against the floor and walls for members of the community to sit on. Tea or Arabic coffee is poured throughout the evening to sustain hours of conversation. In some parts of the region, a majlis takes place outside, with a fire burning in the middle to keep people warm. The space is used for weddings, condolences, problem-solving and current affairs, and can also host poetry events, small-scale concerts and parties.
The majlis was originally meant to allow locals to gather and discuss matters that concerned or impacted them. Elderly members of the community, such as tribesmen with significant knowledge of the area and community, have particular importance there. Sheikhs, scholars and judges can also be invited in the event of a dispute or ongoing issue that needs to be resolved. Children often accompany their parents, learning traditions and community values as oral heritage is passed down.
Customs, Labor, and the Official Seal
Turkish coffee culture and traditions were added to the Unesco intangible heritage list in 2013. Coffee in Turkey is governed by rules and customs that have largely stayed the same throughout the centuries. It is mostly served in a small cup, with a tall glass of water accompanying it, and is typically bitter. Finely ground coffee beans are combined with water and a small amount of sugar in a cezve, or kanaka, a copper or brass pot used to brew the drink on the stove. The foam is transferred to a cup, with the rest poured over it shortly after.
During some Turkish weddings, a bride-to-be will test her future husband’s temperament by serving him a cup of coffee loaded with salt. If he can drink it without any obvious displeasure, it is assumed that he is good-tempered, and therefore a good man to marry. Coffee connoisseurs may choose to brew their coffee in hot sand, and some use the remnants of ground coffee for fortune-telling. The tradition has been passed down for generations through family members.
The cultivation of the Damascene rose, formally called rosa damascena, was added to Unesco’s intangible heritage list in 2019. Families wake up early in the morning and go to the field to pick the flowers, then sort them. Some petals are dried for tea, others are stored to be distilled. The flowers are exported and sold to perfumers, and also made into essential oils, cosmetics and rose water. Women also gather in villages to make jam, syrups and pastries using the harvested roses.
Women, Memory, and Survival
Hikaye, Arabic for a tale or story, is a narrative tradition practiced by Palestinian women for centuries. The stories are told at home during winter nights or at social gatherings, bringing together women and children. They are mostly fictitious and often reflect the zeitgeist, exploring contemporary social issues, family dynamics and moral imperatives. The speaker often uses a strong, expressive tone that keeps the audience engaged for hours.
The tradition gives women a way to offer their perspective on issues and explore their concerns. Some offer a critique of society, while others describe predicaments. Hikaye is also used to record and pass down history and the experiences of Palestinians, particularly discussing the impact of occupation and forced displacement. With the rise of social media, as well as ongoing turmoil as a result of Israeli occupation, the tradition is being practiced less. Many women are now making a conscious effort to revive it, with stories told in the Palestinian-Arabic dialect, mainly kept alive by the elders. Unesco added the practice to its intangible heritage list in 2008.
Tahtib, a stick-fighting martial art in Egypt, is believed to date back to the Pharaonic period, when it was used as part of military training. Archaeologists say inscriptions on papyrus and walls of temples show fighters battling with sticks alongside archery and wrestling. Over the years, the practice became more ceremonial and is performed at weddings and sporting events. Two people, each holding a stick, battle with the goal of striking the opponent on the head. The sport can be competitive and draws large audiences.
Women have also started participating in tahtib, despite it originally being a male-only sport. Core values include mutual respect, friendship, balance and pride. Today, it is usually performed to the sound of a tabla baladi, a traditional folk drum, and poetry. Clubs and sports centres focused on preserving the art have opened across Egypt in recent years, and national festivals are held annually. Some are even campaigning for tahtib to become an internationally recognized sport. It was added to the Unesco list in 2016.
Bedouin poetry has long been held in esteem as the highest form of artistic expression. For a people whose lifestyle was largely nomadic, written records were difficult to maintain, so the spoken word became the primary method of recording beliefs, values, philosophical theories and genealogies. Taghrooda, one form of traditional Bedouin poetry, involves chanting while traveling on camel-back. It is popular in the UAE and Oman and dates back centuries. Improvised yet following prescribed formats, the chants are initiated by the lead rider and continued by those following behind.
The poems explore love, social issues and family ties. Verses may also be recited around campfires, weddings and tribal festivals. As well as being entertaining, taghrooda can settle disputes between tribes or families and teach tribe members about their history and achievements. The tradition serves as a form of social bonding and is also practiced by women, some of whom chant while working. Tribal elders are trying to keep it going using competitions and other cultural events. Unesco listed the tradition in 2012.
Brides in Tlemcen, in northwestern Algeria, wear layers of jewelry and luxurious fabrics on their wedding day for a look that requires meticulous and lengthy preparation. The intricate embroidery in the fabric is described as an important part of Algeria’s cultural identity and ancestral heritage. Brides leave their family home covered in a hand-woven silk garment, pinned to an elaborately designed cone-shaped headpiece, and typically wear an embroidered velvet kaftan.
Many choose deep burgundy or green colors with patterns inspired by arabesque designs, reinvented year after year. Rows of baroque pearls are believed to protect the bride’s vital and reproductive organs against evil spirits. The bride’s hands are covered in henna, and during the ceremony a married woman from the bride’s family paints a red and silver circular design on the bride’s cheeks and under her lip in a ritual representing purity and protection.
Preparation for the wedding day starts long before the day itself. The craftsmanship involved in making the dress and preparing the bride is passed down from generation to generation. Young girls are introduced to the traditions early to learn their importance and the role marriage has in bringing families together. There is also an economic element: production of wedding costumes is a vital source of income for rural communities. Older craftworkers often use their children as apprentices, and for those who cannot afford to buy the outfits outright, hiring and borrowing are common alternatives. Unesco added Tlemcen wedding craftsmanship to its intangible heritage list in 2012.