Pottery in Oman

In a palm garden in Bahla, Abdullah ibn Hamdan Al Adawi and his sons practise their pottery craft in a workshop. They have old, traditional kilns but they also have a highly modern electric kiln as well as a gas-fired kiln.

If you are seriously interested in the art of pottery in Oman then make a visit to Abdullah ibn Hamdan Al Adawi and his sons is recommended. They practise their craft in a workshop in a palm garden in Bahla.

From the path you can clearly see his old, traditional kilns. The unfired pots arestacked up to the ceiling in the three dome-shaped clay kilns, which are a good two metres high. The duration of the firing varies between one and six days.

Numerous earthenware pots are piled up around the kilns. The are sold as multipurpose containers for dates, water and grain, and such things.

Abdullah Al Adawi is an experienced old potter, with a good understanding how one can combine traditional and modern technology to marvellous effect.

He also possesses a highly modern electric kiln as well as a gas-fired kiln. With their exact temperature regulation and uncomplicated firing mechanism they give more possibilities for making test firings and experiments with glazing. The outcome of these experiments are then put into mass production using the large, labour-intensive clay kilns. Because of their huge capacity they are much more economical than the modern kilns.