Photographer's Note
This is an example of a sadu tent. This particular tent was outside a farmhouse in Wafra hence the trees around it.. but as winter approaches more and more people camp out in the desert, here in Kuwait. Often the tents used are white but once in a while this particular tent can be spotted. The tent has a history....
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Following has been copied from http://www.trmkt.com/sedu.html
.....the bedouin women who were responsible for producing these beautiful , functional storage and saddle bags, camel trappings, floor and cushion coverings. The largest single item the woman wove was the tent itself , bayt al sha’ar or ‘house of hair’. Woven in long strips from goat or sheep hair, or a mixture of both , it provided shelter from the wind, warmth in winter and shade in summer. Since the fibres expanded when wet , the tent was also waterproof. The tent was usually owned by the oldest woman in the family, who had probably woven it herself. The combination of the chocolate brown, black and white strips of a tent lying low in the vastness of the desert with its dividing curtain of red, beige and yellow patterns was an extraordinarily beautiful sight.
The layout of the tent reflected the activities carried out within it. It was divided by a curtain into a men’s and a women’s section. The former was for entertaining visitors, the latter for cooking , looking after children and sleeping. Women did not enter the male section , unless the men were away when they would take over the duty of hospitality if visitors arrived. The women would , however look over the partition and listen to the conversations taking place on the other side. They passed loud comments on the tribal affairs under discussion, and were never slow to give their advice. That advice was listened to with respect and often taken.
The designs woven into their weaving reflected Islamic traditions and even now the human figure is rarely seen. The geometric patterns are made up of vertical or horizontal stripes along with stylized scorpions, combs, maybe an incense burner or a tribal wasm or motif . Since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in l990 , an occasional gun or a FREE KUWAIT have been added to the repertoire .In the past some tribes were famous for a particular motif. Small triangles arranged in a bright staggered pattern and much used in northern Arabia, was called after the woman who first created it - Janah hanbaliyyeh. Its overall effect is vibrant and exuberant. The tent dividers had gaily decorated ends with patterns that varied from tribe to tribe. The back and sides of the tent could be raised in summer to help with shade and ventilation, even so summer temperatures could go as high as 50C in the shade...........
asajernigan has marked this note useful
Critiques | Translate
asajernigan
(21427) 2006-11-20 6:47
Nice photo with good composition. Your color are nice and you have a good DOF. A little more sharpness would be nice and could be done in PP.
Thanks,
Asa
Photo Information
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Copyright: Pari Ali (pari_ali)
(433)
- Genre: ¦a¤è
- Medium: ±m¦â
- Date Taken: 2006-10-28
- Camera: panasonic lumix FZ5
- Exposure¡Gf/3.2, 1/60 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version¡GOriginal Version
- Theme(s)¡GThe way they live [view contributor(s)]
- Date Submitted: 2006-11-20 6:44