Sharjah 24: The eight-part series "The Craft of Grandparents," which airs on "Sharjah 24" on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the holy month features traditional Emirati handicrafts.
Ali Al Abdan, Director of the Artistic Heritage Department at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage explains that Al Ayyala art is one of the most important folk arts in the UAE, and it relies on percussion instruments, the most important of which is the head tambourine, which Emiratis have long excelled in.
He indicated, in the second episode of “The Craft of Grandparents" programme that the crafting process begins with choosing the type of wood, which is a hollow tree trunk that comes ready-made from India or East Africa. Then comes the process of sewing the skin of the bull or the calf on what is called the collar, which is made of iron where it is hammered on both sides.
He added that a rope is inserted to tie this leather so that seven holes are made in the head and eight others in the leather. This process takes a long time and experience in choosing the type of wood and balancing the rope between the patch, the patch of the head and the patch of the shamali; this greatly enriched this craft.
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