The Jordan Collection

The Jordan River Foundation and The Bani Hamida Weaving Center are the two agencies in Jordan that are involved in the women's rug and pillow projects. These weaving projects support over 1400 women in Jordan who carry on the traditional Bedouin techniques of weaving and sewing passed to them from their mothers and grandmothers. They are supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania, who is very involved in promoting handicrafts from Jordan and especially the rug weaving projects.

Bani Hamida started under the Save the Children Program in 1985 with only twelve women weaving. Now there are over 800 women involved in the project spinning the wool, dyeing the yarn and weaving the rugs.

Under the Save the Children project there has been money put back into the hands of the women to feed, clothe and educate their children. Recently a girls' school was built near the Bani Hamida villages, partially funded by the money earned through this weaving project. The Bani Hamida weaving reflects a nomadic heritage passed from mother to daughter for generations. The women of Bani Hamida have woven rugs for their tent homes for as long as nomads have wandered the deserts of Arabia. Today, the Bani Hamida tribes are settled in villages on the windswept slopes high above the Jordan Valley, where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. However they continue to produce their rugs in the traditional way, on an improvised ground loom constructed of stones, sticks and other available objects. The unique warp-faced flatweave of the surface is found only in the rugs of the Bedouin culture. These versatile rugs can be custom colored in the bold palette of traditional weavings, in soft pastels, or in contemporary hues, and can be woven to any size specification.

The traditional geometric designs are based on ancient carpet patterns indigenous to the tribes that migrated through this arid region for centuries. Many of the designs are taken from traditional embroidery patterns, mosaics and ancient scripts that have been adapted to weaving. Community centers have been established to employ women in spinning and weaving on the traditional ground looms, and to develop the use of newer upright looms that are less tiring to the weavers. The yarn has been spun and dyed by hand. The Al-Hweitat Bedouin rugs are woven in panels which give flexibility in sizing. The colors of maroon, teal, olive, camel and light and dark natural ensure a rich and vibrant product.

THE AL-HWEITAT MAROON RUG WAS THE WINNER OF THE MAGNIFICENT CARPET AWARD AT THE INTERNATIONAL AREA RUG MARKET IN ATLANTA!