Silk Road Bazaar

Silk Road Bazaar

Saturday 7 December. 11:00 – 17.00. British Library, Entrance Hall

Step into the world of ancient trade routes and traditions at our Silk Road Bazaar

Enjoy a day of exploration as artisans and craftspeople representing counties along the Silk Road showcase their finest products.  We bring together the rich heritage, art and flavours from the legendary Silk Road, stretching from Asia to the Mediterranean. From intricate textiles and embroidery to handcrafted jewellery and exotic teas, the bazaar offers a unique chance to experience the cultural treasures that have travelled across continents for centuries.

Come along to learn about traditional craftsmanship; and directly support artisans from the Middle East, Central and South Asia and China. 
You can also join photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer for a free image-rich lecture about this epic journey across the modern countries that make up the Silk Road, Travelling the Silk Road: From London to Beijing

Participating stalls include:

Asherah Jewellery
Asherah Jewellery specializes in creating meticulously crafted, elegant pieces that honour and celebrate Palestinian Tatreez, blending heritage with timeless elegance.
asherahjewellery.co.uk @asherahjewelleryuk

Attar Apothecary
Attar Apothecary are purveyors of fair-trade saffron from Iran, sourced directly from single farmers in the province of Khorasan, an area famous for its saffron production. Attar also sources artisanal ceramics and textiles that use traditional motifs on contemporary homewares. 
https://www.instagram.com/attar_apothecary/ @attar_apothecary

Batool Showghi
British-Iranian creative Batool Showghi sells textile and mixed media pieces, artist’s books and boxes. Her work explores the themes of cultural heritage, immigrants and displacements.
https://batoolshowghi.com/ @batoolshowghi

Bethlehem Baubles
Fair-trade glass baubles hand-blown by Muslims, hand-painted by Christians, and shipped by Israel. These unique Christmas decorations are made from recycled glass and the organisation aims to provide a grassroots, fair living wage to a struggling community.
https://www.bethlehembaubles.com/ @bethlehembaubles

Eastern Rug Centre
Eastern Rug Centre is a third-generation Uzbek family business. It has a wide range of Afghan, Turkomen, Uzbek, Pakistani and Persian rugs and kelims.
https://www.easternrugcentre.co.uk/

Kiani Tea 
Kiani Tea specialises in Iranian and Chinese artisan teas, offering a curated selection of premium, hand-crafted teas that celebrate the rich heritage and unique flavours of the two countries' tea cultures. It also sells tea-making accessories.
https://kianitea.com/ @kianitea

LAMSA
LAMSA is a community-based fashion project from Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, leveraging craft as a pathway towards dignity in crisis. Its unique crochet pieces are handmade by Syrian and Lebanese artisans. 
https://www.lamsa-bekaa.com @lamsa.bekaa

Mishka Handicrafts
Mishka uses traditional Egyptian techniques to create jewellery and leather work handcrafted from the finest materials. Mishka's female artisans live amongst Cairo's historic Mamluk monuments in the 'City of the Dead' and receive training and design support from designers such as Bill Amberg. 
https://www.mishkahandcrafts.com/ @mishka.handicrafts

Nimuri
Nimuri sells ethically sourced homeware made in Pakistan, working with artisans and suppliers to support heritage craft skills and create beautiful and unique products.
https://www.nimuri.co.uk/ @nimuri.uk

Oshana 
Oshana gives Syrian refugee women in Lebanon a dignified income, a supportive community, and a creative outlet for trauma - through embroidery and crochet. The artisans are paid a crucial wage for the homeware and accessories they create, while also benefitting from working together and the therapy of craft.
https://oshana.co.uk/ @oshana_co

Rose Anderson
Rose makes little decorative bags out of Japanese textiles known as "komebukuro". These are traditionally made out of scrap fabric and used in Japan to carry rice and other offerings to temples and shrines during festivals and ceremonies.

S jo
S jo creates original, one-of-a-kind accessories drawing inspiration from traditional textile techniques and handcrafted by mainly female artisans in villages in Pakistan. The signature jewellery collections value each individual craft woman’s creativity, provide opportunities for fair income and a creative space for artisans to develop their craft practice.
https://www.sjoaccessories.com/ @sjoaccessories

Tatreez Collective
The Tatreez Collective has a mission to preserve and showcase the rich tradition of Palestinian embroidery, known as Tatreez, bringing its intricate patterns and profound meanings to a global audience through clothing and embroidery kits.
https://www.thetatreezcollective.co.uk/ @thetatreezcollective

Yi Crafts
Yi Crafts is an East Asian handicrafts studio based in London. It focuses on the beautiful but vanishing traditional handicrafts of China's minority ethnicities.
https://yicrafts.com/ @yicraftslondon

Zaytoun
Zaytoun is a social enterprise inspired by a love of Palestinian culture, communities and cuisine. Its mission is to support Palestinian producers through fair trade, and 100% of profits are reinvested into delivering it. Zaytoun’s range of quintessential Palestinian products includes extra virgin olive oil, as well as soaps and Dead Sea Bath Salts.
www.zaytoun.uk @zaytoun_cic

This is a free drop-in event. No ticket required.

Image by Christopher Wilton-Steer

@eventsBL

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