JEDDAH: A Saudi master potter determined to pass his skills on to a new generation has revealed the secrets of the age-old craft — while offering a few life lessons as well.
“A good potter needs nothing but patience, enthusiasm and delicacy,” Essam Hussain Abu Laban, 37, told Arab News.
Abu Laban comes from a long line of Saudi pottery masters and learned the craft from his ancestors.
Arab News visited the family’s 3,000 sq meter pottery factory in one of the most famous areas in Makkah, Al-Rusaifa, to learn more about the master craftsman’s journey.
Abu Laban and his brother are the fourth generation to inherit the craft, and are keen to pass on their late father’s ambition and dedication to the next generation.
“My father is the major master and influencer of this craft. I used to assist him in some tasks, but I will never be him. I couldn’t take the craft seriously until he passed away,” Abu Laban said.
He said that a skilled potter requires a lot of patience, no matter how much experience they have. “Even though I have been working in pottery for more than 12 years, I did not realize how hard it is to learn a new skill until after my father had gone.”
Traditional steps of pottery making
Abu Laban’s pottery factory is considered a leading source of authentic traditional pottery in the city, and uses only pure, natural clay sourced from a stream after rainfall.
Sometimes potters opt for powder clay, which can contains stones and has to be placed in crushers for six to eight hours to ensure it turns into fine clay powder. Water is added at the last stage until it turns into a sticky, raw clay paste.
Sediment formed in the valleys after rain is the main source of clay, which can be found in cities including Makkah, Tabuk, Riyadh, Madinah, Al-Kharj and the south of the Kingdom. There is also dry clay in a form of stones.
Each region has its characteristic clay. While Makkah clay is known for its cold appearance and bright red color, the Tabuk variety is white in color and adds hardness to the mixture. Clay from the southern region makes the mixture more durable in high temperatures.
Producing artistic tones and terracotta colors is far from easy, with each step needing time and effort. A manual process follows that takes about four to six hours to produce a day’s supply.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Abu Laban’s pottery factory is considered a leading source of authentic traditional pottery in the city, and uses only pure, natural clay sourced from a stream after rainfall.
• Sediment formed in the valleys after rain is the main source of clay, which can be found in cities including Makkah, Tabuk, Riyadh, Madinah, Al-Kharj and the south of the Kingdom. There is also dry clay in a form of stones.
• Each region has its characteristic clay. While Makkah clay is known for its cold appearance and bright red color, the Tabuk variety is white in color and adds hardness to the mixture. Clay from the southern region makes the mixture more durable in high temperatures.
• The Kingdom’s Eastern Province is home to another pottery factory, owned by the Al-Gharrash family at Al-Qarah Hill, located between At-Tuwaitheer village and Al-Qarah village in Al-Ahsa. The family produces many products.
“After the crushing stage, the heavy paste is moved into the water tank and left to soak. Then it is filtered and put in a tank that forces the mixture through a metal mesh, forming equally sized, slightly soft and ready-to-use clay slices,” Abu Laban said.
A machine known as a pug mill also produces solid pieces of clay at Abu Laban’s plant.
Once the clay is ready to be used, it is shaped and any impurities removed to ensure a good product. The pottery is then dried in the sun before being placed inside a kiln — a heating chamber used to transform materials at high temperature — that has been fired for up to 12 hours.
Once the clay is ready to be used, it is shaped and any impurities removed to ensure a good product.
After the pottery is taken out of the kiln, it is left to cool at room temperature — the final step for some products. However, dinnerware is coated with a layer of glaze to deliver a modern touch. After applying the glaze, pottery is returned to the kiln at temperatures of up to 540 degrees Celsius.
A ton of pure clay is produced daily, while products with defects are sorted, recycled and added to the mixture in the crusher, adding hardness to the new portion of clay.
Abu Laban compared the process of creating pottery to baking biscuits, saying: “We make the mixture, shape it and bake it in the kiln, just like bread, and at the end of the day, we collect the leftovers and recycle them just as a baker turns dry bread into rusk.”
The master potter uses traditional methods, while also adopting more recent production techniques. “The kiln uses diesel or wood, while some of our ovens are imported from Britain and use electricity.”
Firing is a time-consuming process and needs several assistants. Abu Laban has a team of helpers and potters who have been working with his family for more than 20 years.
Yussri Ibrahim, an Egyptian potter and one of the oldest masters at Abu Laban’s pottery factory, described pottery as a therapeutic activity. “I have been working in this craft for over 40 years. I have my pottery studio in one of Cairo’s old villages.”
Unpacking the kiln is one of the most thrilling moments, as the potter has to see, test and show off his good work, Ibrahim said.
Pottery factory in Al-Ahsa
The Kingdom’s Eastern Province is home to another pottery factory, owned by the Al-Gharrash family at Al-Qarah Hill, located between At-Tuwaitheer village and Al-Qarah village in Al-Ahsa.
Hussain Adnan Al-Gharrash, the grandson of Ali Al-Gharrash, one of the most prominent Saudi potters, told Arab News that the family produces many products. “Back in the old days, we used to rely on the ochre clay that comes from the ground and springs, but it soon disappeared and we now use powder clay.”
Every year the factory shows off its work at Al-Janadriyah festival to represent the craft of pottery making.
“I, my uncle and my grandfather have also gone abroad to represent the craft in Saudi national day celebrations in many countries. We have also participated in many international exhibits in France, Canada, the US, Italy, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan,” Al-Gharrash said.
“We revive handicrafts and give visitors a chance to enjoy watching the production live.”
During a visit to the factory, Al-Gharrash showed Arab News a number of old photos highlighting the factory’s achievements, including a photo of King Salman watching Ali Al-Gharrash displaying his skills at an exhibit in Canada.
The factory still uses an old wooden potter’s wheel as part of its production process.
It is known for its custom-made wood-fired mud ovens shaped like huge pots. “Saudi families like to have them in their backyards to make bread and traditional food, including mandi.” Al-Gharrash said.
