The symmetry of khayamiya and quilting: International relations of the Egyptian tentmakers

The symmetry of khayamiya and quilting: International relations of the Egyptian tentmakers
Sam Bowker

 Khayamiya in local context, prior to an event in the City of the Dead, Cairo, 2007

Photo: Jenny Bowker

Abstract The tentmakers of Cairo or khayamin (derived from the Arabic word for tent, khayam), can demonstrate ongoing engagement with changes in the usage, composition and production of their traditional craft: khayamiya (Egyptian tentmaker appliqué). These changes have resulted in new patronage from quilters, moving khayamiya from a locally marginalised folk product to global recognition as a spectacular Egyptian craft. This collaboration highlights the long-term engagement of non-Egyptian audiences by the tentmakers, who have responded to changing local conditions and attitudes by directing their work to the interests of foreign collectors, rather than the local Egyptian market. In turn, this has prompted new evaluations of their largely unexplored history.1

By reviewing these changes, it will be shown that contemporary khayamiya serve longstanding cultural imperatives that are both Egyptian and non-Egyptian. For over a century the tentmakers have engaged with orientalist imaginations without losing their cultural foundations. Their collaboration with quilters presents a logical continuation of their adaptability to exigencies that has enabled them to sustain their distinctive and diverse craft. In turn, this mutual engagement has resulted in the deeper contextualisation and reappraisal of khayamiya as contemporary craft. Read full paper

Abstract from The symmetry of khayamiya and quilting: International relations of the Egyptian tentmakers
Full paper published in craft+design enquiry: issue 6 Issue 6 2014, Craft.Material.Memory

khayamiya, tourist, tentmakers, Egypt, applique, quilt