The Mansoojat Foundation is proud to announce the launch of our new website: www.mansoojat.org The new platform has been created to celebrate, document, and share the rich textile and costume traditions of Saudi Arabia with audiences around the world. Traditional garments are more than clothing — they carry stories of identity, craftsmanship, memory, and community. Through our collections, research, exhibitions, and partnerships, we are committed to preserving this living heritage for future generations. Our new website offers: • Improved access to collection highlights • News and updates on projects and exhibitions • Opportunities to support our work • A growing[...]

We are delighted to share that Aperture, the new documentary following British heritage photographer and Mansoojat Foundation Trustee Richard Wilding, is now available to watch on MBC Shahid. The film follows Richard as he returns to Saudi Arabia after more than a decade, revisiting the people and places he first documented during his early work in the Kingdom. From Jeddah’s Al Balad to the mountain villages of Aseer and Fayfa, the restored city of Diriyah and the Farasan Islands, Aperture reflects on how Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape has evolved — and what has endured. The Mansoojat Foundation is honoured to[...]

Save The Date 12 March to 18 March Diriyah Biennale Foundation

In August 2010, Mansoojat was honoured to receive a significant donation from Carol McManus: a traditional Najd thobe with a distinguished provenance. The garment had been gifted to Mrs. McManus by Marianne Alireza, who herself had received the thobe from Queen Effat Al Thunayan, wife of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. This extraordinary lineage adds both cultural and historical value to the piece. Originating from the Najd region, the thobe reflects the elegance and craftsmanship associated with central Saudi dress traditions, while its royal connection situates it within a broader narrative of modern Saudi history. The donation represents not[...]

In March 2010, London, Serena Furman presented three costumes to The Mansoojat Foundation. The costumes were generously donated by her mother, Mary Eddy Furman. The donation formed part of Mansoojat’s continuing work to preserve and document traditional costume heritage and to expand the Foundation’s growing collection of historic garments and textiles connected to the cultures of the Arabian Peninsula and the wider region. The Foundation remains grateful for contributions such as this, which support the safeguarding of traditional dress and material culture for future generations.

In March 2010, The Mansoojat Foundation was honoured to receive three traditional costumes presented in London by Serena Furman. The garments were generously donated by her mother, Mrs Mary Eddy Furman. Each piece reflects the richness of regional dress traditions, with hand embroidery, distinctive silhouettes and carefully crafted detailing that speak to the social and cultural contexts in which they were worn. This donation strengthened the The Mansoojat Foundation collection at an early stage in its development, contributing not only important textile examples but also preserving personal histories connected to Saudi heritage.