After having visited Hamouda we headed to the Fustat Traditional Crafts Center located near the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
During our visit, we met with Ahmed, the head of the center, who is also a potter and a teacher at the Jameel Center for crafts. Five hundred years ago, he explained, craftsmen in Egypt were also designers, but over time, this role diminished, and artisans became restricted to replicating existing designs instead of innovating their own. The center’s goal is to revive these lost skills by teaching the foundational principles of Islamic design. This gives the students a deeper understanding not only on how to reproduce patterns but also on the underlying logic and structure of their designs. Ahmed compared this to music, where one can play an instrument by ear (sama3i) but lacks the theoretical knowledge to compose. Ahmed noted that many students today turn to platforms like Pinterest for inspiration instead of studying designs by visiting the architecture located right next door to the center.
Ahmed introduced us to alternative ceramic vessel shapes that might be more suitable for producing Egyptian blue. While our initial focus was on the traditional 'ballas' vessel, Ahmed suggested a round vessel with two handles and a wider opening, which could facilitate better material handling. This aligns with suggestions from another artisan, Hamouda, and Joseph who recommended experimenting with different forms to improve efficiency.
Ahmed also shared valuable knowledge about traditional salts, explaining that salt from Wadi Natrun, historically used for lighting due to its natural radiance, might be particularly effective in the blue-making process due to its mineral composition.
