Bani Hamida Weaving Centre & Gallery

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This women's cooperative in Mukawir village (by the side of the road leading to the castle) is run by the Bani Hamida Centre and is a good place to buy gorgeous, colourful kilims and cushions. Designs reflect contemporary tastes and traditional Bedouin patterns. The kilims aren't super cheap, but the fixed prices fairly reflect the labour that went into their weaving.

The women who run the centre speak little English but welcome you to the workshop. For an excellent anthropological take on the Bani Hamida story, it’s worth picking up a copy of A Bedouin Perspective (JD5) by Sue Jones, who worked with the Jebel Bani Hamida women in the early 1990s. This booklet is for sale in the showroom. Hours are extremely erratic.

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