Ithra launches Khoos Initiative to celebrate palm weaving tradition
- Last updated: October 4, 2025 | 10:25
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative by Aramco, has announced the launch of the Khoos Initiative, a cultural project dedicated to celebrating, recognising and reimagining the ancient craft of palm weaving (khoos). Connecting artisans and communities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province with global creatives and audiences, the initiative strives to bridge centuries of tradition with contemporary practice, presenting palm weaving as both a living heritage and a source of present and future innovation.
Noura Alzamil, Ithra’s Head of Programs, said that “the Khoos Initiative illustrates how Ithra brings heritage and craft into conversation with contemporary practices. By connecting artisans, artists, and designers across borders, we support traditional Saudi techniques fostering sustainable and innovative approaches within the craft sector. Projects like this create opportunities for collaboration, strengthen the cultural ecosystem, and contribute to global dialogues on heritage, creativity, and design.”
Palm weaving, or khoos, is one of the Kingdom’s oldest and most enduring crafts, where dried palm fronds are woven into baskets, mats, and decorative objects. A practical skill, it also embodies cultural memory, resilience, and creativity, passed down through generations in local communities. Ithra’s Khoos Initiative shines a light on living traditions, particularly in Al-Ahsa Oasis, the world’s largest date palm oasis and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the craft continues to play an active role in daily and cultural life.
The initiative unfolds through a series of interconnected programmes. From October 3 - 14, a residency between Al-Ahsa and Ithra brings together designers from countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Korea, Chile and Bahrain, to collaborate directly with palm weavers, exchanging knowledge and exploring innovative approaches to craft, while honouring traditional techniques. On October 9, Ithra hosts a Recognition Day event that marks the launch of Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition and the premiere of Sa’afa, a new documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Mahmoud Kaabour, capturing the human stories behind the craft.
Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition (till March 2026), takes visitors on an immersive journey into the cultural and ecological legacy of the date palm. Through sections like the Oasis, Roots, Trunk, Fronds and Dates, it reveals the palm’s role in architecture, medicine, ritual and craft, reimagined through contemporary works by Saudi and international artists including Fatimah Al Nemer, Sumaya Shelbi, Mohammed Amine Hamouda and Mestiz. Palms In Eternal Embrace by former Ithra Art Prize winner Obaid Alsafi, will be the centerpiece of the exhibition. Workshops and public programmes will extend the exhibition experience, inviting audiences to engage directly with the living traditions of palm weaving.
Khoos Initiative will introduce signature commissions in November 2025, featuring works by Lebanese designer Nada Debs and Argentinian designer Cristián Mohaded, developed with the support of the Saudi Heritage Commission. Additionally, Saudi designer Shahad Alazzaz will also present a work, underscoring the initiative’s efforts to foster international and local collaborations. Together, these milestones ensure that khoos is celebrated not only as heritage, but as a dynamic, evolving cultural expression.
The Khoos Initiative is launched in conjunction with Ithra’s participation at UNESCO Mondiacult 2025 in Barcelona (Sept. 29 – Oct. 1), where a panel on intangible cultural heritage to share insights from the perspective of living practitioners and artisans, took place. Ithra will also present the Khoos Initiative at the ICOM General Conference in Dubai (Nov. 11 – 17), furthering the conversation on crafts as systems of knowledge that sustain community resilience and cultural continuity.
Born in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, Fatimah Al Nemer is an acclaimed artist and calligrapher whose artwork is celebrated for its focus on themes inspired by folklore and social heritage, particularly celebrating women. Sumaya Shelbi is a pioneering Saudi artist and designer whose work spans three-dimensional canvases, drawings, paintings and sculptures, to design objects and accessories. Artist and scenographer Mohamed Amine Hamouda’s research documents and interprets the fragility of the Gabès oasis in Tunisia, aiming to generate new possibilities and responses to social, environmental, and economic challenges.
Mestiz is a studio based in Mexico known for collaborating with local artisans and manufacturers to create functional home goods and decorative objects that capture the vibrancy and textures of the surrounding environment. Mahmoud Kaabour is an award-winning filmmaker and creative consultant with an international track record spanning the Arabian Gulf, Canada, Germany and Lebanon. His portfolio of multilingual productions has been showcased at top-tier film festivals and museums; his areas of focus are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Obaid Alsafi (b. 1991) works in new media installations, video, and data-generated projects. His creative process is informed by his training in computer science. Nada Debs is a Lebanese designer living and working in Beirut. Her work spans products and furniture design to one-off commissions across craft, art, fashion and interiors.
Cristian Mohaded, a graduate of the National University of Córdoba, is concurrently an industrial designer, an interior designer and an artistic director. Shahad Alazzaz is the Founder of Azaz Architects. Early in her career, she joined a prominent Spanish firm and was swiftly appointed Middle East Projects Manager, contributing to projects across Diriyah, Paris, Istanbul, Ankara, Madrid, and Malabo.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), a citizenship initiative by Aramco, is a leading cultural destination in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Since its opening in 2018, it has become a distinguished architectural and cultural landmark, housing the Idea Lab, Library, Theater, Museum, Cinema, Great Hall, Energy Exhibit, Children’s Museum and Knowledge Tower.