Kleem is the name donated to a flat woven, woolen rug that is produced manual looms until today. This handicraft is present in different areas of Egypt, but is concentrated in the town of Fuwwah in Kafr ElSheikh governorate. Fuwwah lies on the outskirts of the Nile Delta; kleem weaving has existed in this particular town for over eight centuries.

This craft started with bedouin tribes from the surrounding desert, coming into Fuwwah with wool off their desert sheep. They traded their wool for agricultural products, Fuwwah then had probably been a small village. This wool was woven into rugs and heavy blankets. Often, these products were used for trade in the larger towns and also with the bedouins themselves. Until today most of the wool used for weaving comes from desert sheep, because of its acclaimed sturdiness and durability.

The washing, dying and spinning of the wool precedes the process of weaving. Although the dying and spinning of the wool have become mechanized today, the weaving still remains a hand-made cottage product. Kleem weaving has always been a cottage industry, and remains so today. A cottage industry is one where the production is from the home of the producer and is always a family business. In the case of kleem, the weaver sets up a loom in his house or adjacent to it, where he works at hours that suits him. Traditionally the women spun the yarn, and dyed it with natural dyes. Today, the natural dyes have been replaced by chemical dyes, which have proven more efficient. The spinning takes place in a mechanized spinning house, but there still remain women who spin in the traditional fashion. Children are taught to weave from the age of eight, and they also participate in the production process by making the wool into spools.

As is the case of all rural Egypt, Fuwwah remains underdeveloped, with a poor infrastructure to support its one hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants. Fuwwah has its own small market, bank and communication center, yet all these are not sufficient to support its growing population. Services are poor and living standards are very low. Migration to bigger towns and cities is a common phenomenon in Fuwwah as in most of rural Egypt. Coupled with the decline in demand for kleem, harsh economic conditions, the decrease of inflow of tourists which comprised a large percentage of the demand on kleem, the industry has suffered greatly in the past decade. Fuwwah has witnessed a decline of over 50% in its kleem producing labor force. Looms have been dismantled and sold for the meager price of its wood.

The attempts of governmental institutions in supporting this dying handicraft have been unsuccessful. It is now the role of the private sector to help in the preservation of this part of the Egyptian culture. At alsadek, our main aim is to increase the demand for kleem both locally and internationally. Our introduction of new designs, color trends, washing, dying and mothproofing techniques have brought the standards of our kleem to that of its equivalent on the international market.


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