International Exhibition at Muscat Festival 2013 (Part 1 of 3)

  The International Exhibition of Traditional Crafts and Arts involved more than 100 craftsmen from various countries around the world from February 14th to February 28th and was one of my favorite parts of the festival.  They had these temporary pavilions at Amerat Park with craftsmen and artists from Oman, Tunisia, Malaysia, Jordan, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, China, Vietnam, Iran, Morocco, Turkey, France, Thailand, Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Mauritania and Russia.  I’m sure there were others but those are the nations that were officially listed on the entrance of the nine buildings.  Of course it was only right that the first craftsmen we visited were local Omanis representing the Public Authority for Craft Industries.  This young gentleman was a great salesman and kept insisting that we try out some lotions that he was selling.  He was selling skin creams made from frankincense lotion, saffron, sandalwood and many other ingredients.  You could buy little containers of this skin lotion in small cases selling for 1, 2, or 5 rials, depending on the size.  We ended up buying 3 different types.  This man was a great ambassador for his country, unlike the unfriendly Omanis who seemed bored and/or irritated whenever someone approached the counter representing the Ministry of Tourism!  The Moroccan craftsmen (like the Omanis) had their own pavilion and we were fortunate to see a group of musicians entertaining the crowds as we arrived!  Here they are on video:   It was fascinating to watch so many artists working away so diligently at their trades even in the midst of all the loud crowds!  My friend and I really enjoyed talking with so many interesting artists from around the world.  I was impressed with the many small acts of kindness and hospitality by the artists such as the Jordanian merchant who insisted on us taking a large poster of The Treasury in Petra, Oman after discussing the beauty of his country.  This Vietnamese artist specializes in paintings of Ha Long Bay (“Descending Dragon Bay”) which is listed as one of “the New 7 Wonders of Nature“.  I knew I knew this Yemeni man the moment I saw him.  Sure enough, he was at the “Embassy Participation Bazaar” during last year’s festival! Mr. Akrim Mohammed.  Small world! 😉    Impressive framed carpet!  I wonder if a lot of the people walking by realized that that’s a carpet.  I saw other fabulous works like that from other Iranian artists while in Iran in 2005.Watch this short clip of this Iranian lady making a carpet to get an idea of the speed and talent involved in such an undertaking!