The Pictographic Codes in Al-Sadu Weavings of Kuwait

Al-Sadu weavings of Kuwait are known for their quality and aesthetic appearance.Those pieces are created by the Bedouin people of Kuwait, and decorated withelegant pictographs and very pleasant colours. Each pictograph has its name,meanings, and distinct design. Those pictographs are created by female masterweavers to beautify their woven objects, prove their talents and weaving skills, andsatisfy their family needs for woven textiles. Whoever, all those pictographs are notyet carefully and explicitly documented. As a result, there is a genuine concernregarding the fear of losing the shapes, names, and meanings of those pictographs.Therefore, part of the aim of this study is to answer the following questions: 1)what are the shapes, names, and meanings of the different pictographs commonlyincorporated within the different Al-Sadu weavings? 2) How the Al-Sadupictographs are created? 3) Did the Al-Sadu pictographs change over time? How?and Why? The major objective of this study are to: 1) Investigate the shapes,names, and meanings of the major pictographic codes that appear on most of Al-Sadu Weavings, 2) Identify the major changes that are taking place in the Al-Sadupictographic codes, 3) Predict new trends in Al-Sadu future pictographic codes.Thirty (30) different Al-Sadu weaving were carefully studied. They contained 54Shajarahs with a total length of 264.47 meters (293.86 yards). The Shajarahs had3,160 pictographs of which 25% of them were reputations. Furthermore, nine (9)master Al-Sadu weavers were interviewed to better understand the shapes, names,and meanings of the different Al-Sadu pictographs. The focus of this study wasdirected toward the different pictographs found in the long set of pictographs calledthe Shajarah. Major finding of this study indicates that the master weavers learnedall the needed knowledge and required weaving skills from their parents, relatives,and close friends. Moreover, most of the common pictographs used in Al-Saduweavings were passed from one generation of master weavers to another. However,most of the skilled master weavers often came up with their new or modifiedversions of pictographs, which they created depending on their own observationsand interpretations of things they have seen in their surrounding or visitedenvironments. Finally, there is an urgent need for full and comprehensivedocumentation of all, or at least the most common Al-Sadu pictographs to preservethem from extinction, and have them available to be used by future master weavers.