Our History
The Mansoojat Foundation is a UK registered charity founded by a group of Saudi women with a passionate interest in the traditional ethnic textiles and costumes of Arabia.
The Mansoojat Foundation is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich textile heritage of Saudi Arabia. Established in 2002, the Foundation’s mission is to document, conserve, and raise awareness about the traditional costumes and textiles of the various regions and tribes within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Mansoojat Foundation was founded by a group of passionate individuals. Recognizing the urgent need to preserve the disappearing textile traditions of Saudi Arabia, they embarked on a mission to collect and document these cultural artefacts. The foundation’s name, “Mansoojat,” is derived from the Arabic word for “textiles” or “clothing,” reflecting its primary focus.
Recent Articles
Explore & Discover
Asir velvet thobe
Asir, Southern Region Asir velvet thobe with front embroidered panels which recall the motifs of the hand painted decorations on the interiors of the traditional Asir homes. Asir, like the highlands of southern Hijaz, is traditionally a region of settled tribespeople. Peaks rise to 3,000 metres, and terraced farming is fed by both winter and summer rains. Buildings are tall,[...]
Asir floral printed thobe
Asir, Southern Region Asir, like the highlands of southern Hijaz, is traditionally a region of settled tribespeople. Peaks rise to 3,000 metres, and terraced farming is fed by both winter and summer rains. Buildings are tall, of both stone and mud. In Asir sarongs are worn beneath dresses, to conceal and protect their pantaloons while the women work in the[...]
Al Baha man’s bidi aba
Al Baha, Southern Region The highland plateau atop the mountain escarpment is green and fertile. It is a land of terraced farms, juniper forests and rural buildings of both stone and mud. In these southern regions the tailoring was done by men. Al Baha man's bidi aba (cloak) made of white goat's wool and embroidered along the front and on[...]