source_url: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/al-sadu-traditional-weaving-skills-in-the-united-arab-emirates-02223
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# Al Sadu
**Al Sadu, traditional weaving skills in the United Arab Emirates**
Al Sadu is the traditional weaving practice of the United Arab Emirates, carried on today mainly by older women. The practice encompasses spinning, weaving, pattern creation, and the transmission of knowledge within family and community settings. Practitioners often gather in small groups to spin and weave, exchanging family news and occasionally chanting and reciting poetry, which gives the craft a social dimension alongside its technical one. Girls learn by watching, and are gradually given tasks to do, such as sorting the wool, before learning the more intricate skills involved. Weavers use wool from sheep, camels and goats, spun by hand and often dyed, then woven on a ground loom into strong geometric patterns in red, black, white and brown. Al Sadu was inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2011 because it was at risk of disappearing, and after a safeguarding programme it was transferred to the Representative List in 2025.
## Key facts
- UNESCO inscription: 2025 (Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity)
- Inscription history: Inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2011, then transferred to the Representative List in 2025 after a successful 2011-2023 safeguarding programme.
- A United Arab Emirates national inscription
- Also known / searched as: al sadu, sadu, sadou, al-sadu, bedouin weaving, traditional weaving, wool weaving, emirati textiles
Source: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/al-sadu-traditional-weaving-skills-in-the-united-arab-emirates-02223