Archaeological explorations have shown that the pottery industry in the Sultanate of Oman dates back more than five thousand years, and it has spread throughout the various regions of the Sultanate of Oman. Since pottery making is one of the distinctive evidences of the civilisations of peoples in the world, it expresses the extent of its development. Despite the simplicity of this industry, because it is the simplest form of art, it is one of the most difficult crafts. It is the simplest because it has a primitive nature, yet it is the most difficult because it involves a form of art. The pottery industry in Oman is considered one of the ancient industries, and the reason for interest is its multiple uses in daily life.
Pottery vessels are suffering today from the migration of Omanis to modern utensils of various types, and their presence in homes is no longer limited to anything other than decoration. However, tourists who flock to the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate move to the Wilayat of Bahla to learn about how pottery is made and the pottery products that are made. As a culmination of their admiration for this craft, tourists buy gifts and souvenirs that remain as decoration in their homes and as evidence of their journey and discovery of the Omani heritage.
The state of Bahla in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate is also one of the ancient Omani states, famous for many traditional industries and crafts that the people of the state still cling to as part of their cultural heritage.
The pottery industry goes through many stages, starting with bringing the special soil for making pottery. This soil is divided into three types (green, red, and white). The soil is mixed with water through a special machine for this task, which is prepared for mixing and rapid mixing. This mixture is then delivered via pipes to special underground basins. To dry the clay, after the water dries and the dough is ready, the clay is taken out of the basins and then kneaded using special kneading machines. After that, the dough is soft and ready for the manufacturing stage, where the appropriate amount of clay is taken for the piece to be manufactured and placed on the wheels of modern industry, and the vessels to be made are formed and decorated according to the size. What is required is that the pots are dried and assembled before the burning stage is carried out.
After they are dry and ready, the pots are placed in a special oven for the burning process for a period of more than three days, where the temperature inside the oven reaches more than a thousand degrees Celsius. After ensuring that the oven temperature drops to less than 50 degrees Celsius, the pots are taken out and ready to be displayed for sale. Other utensils for the process of colouring with dyes and inserting them again into an oven are designated for this purpose.
It is worth noting that four types of soil are involved in the manufacture of pottery: the mud soil from the Wilayat of Bahla, the Sarbukh soil from the Wilayat of Al Hamra, the stony soil from the Muscat Governorate and the Wilayat of Al Hamra, and the white soil from the Wilayat of Mahut and Masirah Island.
This profession is considered one of the professions that contribute to the Omani economy, and the Zakat Committee in the Wilayat of Bahla supports families who work in the pottery industry with the aim of creating a stable and renewable income for the families covered by the disbursement of zakat.
Saeed bin Abdullah al Adawi (member of the Zakat Committee) said there are workshops to teach the learners how to make pottery through training courses that qualify them to engage in the industry on their own at the Al Adawi factory for making and selling pottery. It also provides means, tools, and equipment that help them in this profession. The committee markets and sells pottery products. The Committee also provides moral support that contributes to encouraging the continuation of this profession throughout Oman.
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