Artisanat et artisanat d’art dans les oasis du désert occidental égyptien

Author: Frank Bliss. With contributions by: Marlis Weissenberger. Series edited by: Beatrix Heintze, Karl-Heinz Kohl.

Series: SzK Studien zur Kulturkunde Volume 109

The present volume gives an overview of arts and crafts in the oases of the West Egyptien desert. As a result of ethnological research over a long period (1979–1996) not only traditional forms of material culture are presented, but also recent developments under the influence of factors such as tourism or the project Nouvelle Vallée. This led to important economic and social changes and was reflected in the form and function of the work of craftsmen. Convergent tendencies appear here – such as the loss of religious or cultural meaning of ornaments in favour of an enhancement in their decorative and esthetic value. Completely different reactions to modernisation and increasing diffusion of industrial products are also recorded here.

The first part of the book describes the socio-economic and historical-cultural conditions of the oases Siwa, Farafra, Bahriya, Dakhla and Kharga. The second part consists of an overview of the characteristics of traditional crafts. An ethnographic description of the different trades and techniques is given in part three; chapter 8 of this part contains a contribution from Marlis Weissenberger about the jewellery of the oases. The volume includes 199 photos from the author and 118 drawings which provide a visual impression of the described techniques and forms.

Further monographs describe the language spoken in Siwa, the Siwi Berber. Furthermore, you will find studies featuring the production and use of fabrics in Africa:

Accompanying material:

• Acoustically Based Phonemics of Siwi (Berber) (ISBN 978-3-89645-936-7)
• Berber and Arabic in Siwa (Egypt) (ISBN 978-3-89645-937-4)
• Berber Texts from Siwa (Egypt) (ISBN 978-3-89645-979-4)
• Berberstudien & A Sketch of Siwi Berber (Egypt) (ISBN 978-3-89645-389-1)
• Ethnographical Texts in Moroccan Berber (Dialect of Anti-Atlas) (ISBN 978-3-89645-950-3)
• La vie berbère par les textes – Les parlers du Maroc central (ISBN 978-3-89645-957-2)
• Recherches sur le vocabulaire du tissage en Afrique du Nord (ISBN 978-3-89645-390-7)
• Textes berbères des Ait Izdeg (Moyen Atlas marocain) – Textes originaux en fac-similé avec traductions (ISBN 978-3-89645-939-8)

Cross-reference:

• African Styles – Kleidung und Textilien aus Afrika (ISBN 978-3-89645-400-3)
• Afrikanische Frauen und kulturelle Globalisierung / African Women and Cultural Globalization / Femmes africaines et globalisation culturelle (ISBN 978-3-89645-318-1)
• Texte auf Textilien in Ostafrika (ISBN 978-3-89645-266-5)
• The Travels of Sindbad the Sailor – Text in Tashelhiyt Berber (South Morocco) with a Translation in English (ISBN 978-3-89645-959-6)

© 2024 by Rüdiger Köppe Verlag – www.koeppe.de

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