Cairo: A Saudi woman has revived the vocation of her grandfather, who was a well-known baker in the 1950s in the Saudi city of Medina, home to Islam's second most sacred place.
Abeer Al Masry has set up a baker in the family's 80-year-old house typical of Medina's architectural heritage.
"My grandfather was famous for baking the fatoot traditional bread, and before his death, he prevented his children from taking up the vocation because of the fatigue associated with it. So,his children focused on education," Abeer told Saudi news TV Al Ekhbariya.
"My passion about bread making prompted me to practise it as a hobby. The matter developed and we became a productive family famous for making ma'amoul in Jeddah and Medina," she added, referring to a popular type of filled butter cookies.
Heritage
The place was rehabilitated with support of the Medina Development Authority. The place is now redolent of the smells of traditional bread and cookies.
"Through the bakery, I was interested in bringing back my grandfather's profession. I also liked to let our visitors and our children taste the Medina-style fatoot bread for which my father was famous," Abeer said.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has put a strong emphasis on national heritage and paid attention to renovation of ancient sites. In 2020, the kingdom created the Heritage Commission tasked with advancing and preserving heritage. Moreover, the commission supports efforts to develop national heritage assets, raise awareness and generate interest in them.
It is also responsible for holding training courses, developing educational programmes and providing scholarships for talents.
The Saudi government has designated 2025 as the year of handicrafts in a step celebrating their time-honoured contribution to the kingdom's heritage.
The designation also aims to bring Saudi handicrafts to world attention and encourage artisans.
During the "year of handicrafts", the Ministry of Culture will seek to consolidate the presence of Saudi handicrafts locally and globally as well as enable Saudi artisans to showcase their creativity at domestic and foreign events.
