The Hasawi Bisht festival, which takes place in Al-Souq Ahsa’s Al-Arbi’a, ends on Tuesday. The bisht is a traditional men’s cloak worn over a thobe in Arab countries. It is worn without sleeves on the shoulder and down the calf.
The week-long event included a number of activities that emphasised Al-historical Ahsa’s and cultural tradition of hand knitting, particularly in the making of bisht.
Eastern Province Governor Prince Saud bin Naif donned a light brown bisht and was accompanied by Al-Ahsa Governor Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr and Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail for the festival’s launch last Wednesday.
Many individuals in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf enjoy wearing bishts on important events and festivals, and they are adorned with traditional ornaments and excellent hand stitching, embroidered with a variety of threads and buttons in gold or yellow, silver, white, and red.
An exhibition chronicling the worth of bisht, live workshops on the bisht industry, and a celebration of national handicrafts, including bisht knitting, are all part of the seven-day event. The bisht, a historical craft that has been passed down through numerous families for years, is well-known in Al-Ahsa.
The bisht business was originally a women’s vocation, according to Khaled Al-Farida, director general of the tourism authority in Al-Ahsa, because mothers were eager to knit them for their sons who went to the Kataib (Qur’an memorization sessions), distinguishing them.
As demand grew, more men entered the sector, and the industry gradually grew. He said that the bisht’s names are determined by the number of rows of design, the breadth, and the shape, which might be triangular, quadrilateral, hexagonal, or octagonal.