HAIL: The art of beadwork is an ancient craft passed from one generation to another in Hail.
House of Hail, supervised by Hail Municipality in Aja Park, features a corner for making prayer beads by a local artisan, Mohammed Al-Obaida.
Al-Obaida’s small and simple corner displays more than 35 kinds of beads and other raw materials sourced from different countries to make prayer beads.
Al-Obaida, who has been in the trade for three years, learned the art from his brother, who has been in the beadwork-making profession for about 18 years.
The young artisan said that some prayer beads sell for SR10 while others for SR40,000, depending on the type of beads, threads, size and other material used.
Visitors at the House of Hail are also introduced to different kinds of beads such as the “mastiha,” “bakelite,” “sandalus,” amber, and wood, in addition to different materials used in beadwork such as ivory, wood, stone, fiber and plastic.
Al-Obaida also tells visitors about the multiple cuts of the beads such as circular, olive, azure, barrel, Istanbouli and box shape.
Beadwork requires several machines, he explained, such as the saw, the lathe, in addition to the sanding, polishing and punching machines.
He said that some prayer beads could be manufactured in one hour while others can take up to 28 days.
Al-Obaida thanked the municipality for organizing the House of Hail, which he described as a great attraction for visitors.
He said that these events highlighted the region’s traditional occupations.
