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Brilliant Sand Art in Jordan

Sand bottle art jordan @www.lemonicks.com

Bottled Sand art in Jordan

He puts a little sand of beige color, which acts as a background, in a small bottle and then slowly adds another colored sand. His skilled fingers are at work! He adds every new color with a thin stick or a funnel. Meticulously he ‘paints’ the parts of that color in the picture, only occasionally glancing at it. I am watching a Jordanian sand artist creating magical sand art in bottles. The sand art in Jordan is one of the very popular and ancient art form in Jordan.

Sand art jordan

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Skilled Jordanian Artisan

While the silent fingers are doing their magic, he asks me where I come from and such. Polite and soft spoken as he is, he knows how to engage a visitor. As the conversation continues, I too ask him a few questions starting with his name. He is 28 years old Ayman Amarat Ali from Wadi Mousa village in Petra. He has graduated in archeology and wants to do something in the same field. He has acquired the skills of bottled sand art from his father who was a skilled Jordanian artisan. Ayman has been practicing this art with sand since last 8 years.

Ali continues till the image is ready and then fills up the bottle with the background colored sand before closing it tightly with a cork. I gaze at the bottle. A camel and a few trees appear in a landscape. I can’t believe my eyes. How is it possible to make a perfect picture even from a photo in a narrow-necked bottle? I smile. Another bottle has a face on it. These bottles have the ability to convey interesting stories.

This time it was his turn to smile. Says, there is no limit on what you can draw once you learn how to do this ‘sand painting’. Funnels replace brushes, bottle replaces the canvas and different colored sands take the place of paint!

desert in a bottle

History of Sand Art in Jordan

The sand art history is very interesting. The colors are from the multicolored sand rocks that is found everywhere in Petra, the world wonder city and which makes the city so unique! And that is where it all started by Bedouins during the early 20th century.

The first man who took the craft of Jordanian sand art to today’s stature is believed to be Khalifa Krishna. Born in 1885, Khalifa Krishna used to work as a painter with the armed forces in the region between the Aqaba and Al Qoura in the early 20th century. The British soldiers would leave empty bottles behind and those bottles became canvas for Khalifa’s sand paintings. He began to create simple patterns using multi-colored layers of sands inspired by the sandstone cliffs of his homeland Petra. This appealing craft became the source of inspiration for the artistically inclined Jordanian artisans.

This distinct Jordanian aesthetic in art and architecture arose as part of a Islamic art tradition and thrived with time.

You may also want to read about Usta Art in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Sand art in jordan
Ayman in his shop and below, with me. He tied the Keffiyeh on my head.
Ayman in his shop and below, with me. He tied the Keffiyeh on my head.
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Bottled sand art in Jordan or sand painting

The glass sand art bottles reflect the essence of craft, art and life of Petra.

Seeped from history, this bottled sand art has become one of the most admired activity of Jordan. Creative designs, mostly inspired by local scenes and camels, mountains and valleys, grew in popularity during 1940s. The decorated sand bottles found from that period of time tell us about the recognition of sand art history.

Ayman says, the artists of earlier time also developed the sand art skill to determine what can be drawn using two things; colored sand which they had in abundance and recycled bottles and jars. It started from basic layers to almost anything; new colors and new tools were introduced to the artist. The products revive the folk culture art mixed with modern designs. There are still some artisans who prefer to use only natural colors of sand which mostly are different hues of brown.

Also read about Golden Grass Handicraft in Jajpur, Odisha

The bottled art can be seen everywhere in Jordan & has now traversed to many other countries but what I saw in Petra is definitely original and above all.

Learners learn the art in a fun way. Places where the colored sand isn’t available, the sand is mixed with powder paint or food color to create different hues. The sand thus mixed, is poured into different shaped bottles and jars in order to form designs and colorful layers. One can find sand art bottles of all sizes… from palm sized quarter to one liter sized. They are mostly liquor bottles.

While it takes around 10 – 15 minutes to create a pattern in sand art in smaller bottles, the larger sized can take up to 18 hours.

sand art jerash

You don’t need to visit Wadi Rum to be transported to the enchanting world. You can get the essence of the Jordanian desert right on the streets of Petra … in a bottle! 😀

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An artist cum shopkeeper waiting for customers
An artist cum shopkeeper waiting for customers
souvenir sand art jordan

Also read about Meissen Porcelain, the White Gold of Dresden

The bottled sand art can be seen everywhere in Jordan & has now traversed to many other countries but what I saw in Petra is definitely original and above all.

Learners learn the art in a fun way. Places where the colored sand isn’t available, the sand is mixed with powder paint or food color to create different hues. The sand thus mixed is poured into different shaped bottles and jars in order to form designs and colorful layers.

Sand art is considered a good souvenir and is available in many sizes.

You don’t need to visit Wadi Rum to be transported to the enchanting world. You can get the essence of the Jordanian desert right on the streets of Petra … in a bottle! 😀

Where to stay in Petra

There are many hotels in Petra and around Petra which is called Wadi Musa region. You can select accommodation as per your budget and convenience. We had stayed at Mövenpick Petra which is a decent hotel with all facilities. It is also located just a Km away from the Petra entrance.

Book your hotel in Wadi Musa or Petra, as per your budget and convenience.

Decide on Day Trip or Multi Day trip

There are many tours and trips across Jordan. Depending on your vacation length and number of days available with you, you can decide on the cities to be covered and the tour length. We had a week long trip and could cover only Amman, Jerash, Aqaba, Petra, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea but it was very hectic. I wish we had a few more days with us to enjoy the places.

Hot Tip: Make sure you visit Petra at night also. it’s altogether a different feel. 😀

Here’s the most reliable tour operator for all your requirements.
Book as per your budget and convenience.

FAQ on Sand Bottle Art in Jordan

What are the famous arts in Jordan?

Besides the bottled sand art, traditional art and craft such as mosaics, ceramics, weaving, silver work, music, glass-blowing and calligraphy are some of the other craft popular in Jordan.

What are the traditional crafts of Jordan?

·        Handicrafts. Jordan is famous for the high standard of crafts it makes for tourists and local people alike.
·        Mosaics of Jordan.
·        Ceramics.
·        Embroidery.
·        Weaving.
·        Glassblowing.
·        Sand Art Bottles.
·        Music.

Who invented sand art?

The first man who invented and popularized bottled sand art is believed to be Khalifa Krishna. Read above in history to know more about him.

What are the sizes of the bottles?

The most popular size is of a quarter. The one liter sized bottles are also available. But for small souvenir, they have small bottles as key rings.

Is it available for Online shopping?

You can buy the bottled sand art online also. No need to go to Jordan. 🙂 
Etsy, Amazon and AliExpress are a few online website to buy sand art bottles.

Is Petra same as Wadi Musa?

The town that has sprung up around Petra is called Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses). It’s an easygoing assemblage of hotels, restaurants, shops and houses stretching about 5km from Moses’ Spring (‘Ain Musa) to the main entrance of Petra near the bottom of the Wadi.

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P.S.- This article, Brilliant Sand Art in Jordan belongs to Le Monde, the Poetic Travels, one of the top Indian Travel Blogs, published by the traveling couple bloggers, Nisha & Vasudevan. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. If you are viewing this on another website other than the RSS feed reader or www.lemonicks.com itself, then that website is guilty of stealing our content. Kindly do us a favour by letting us know via Contact Us. Thank you.

49 thoughts on “Brilliant Sand Art in Jordan”

  1. Wow what a talented artist. The sand bottle art look like a wonderful keepsake. It is nice to see you get to know the artist what a great story he shared with you.

    1. Thank you Rob. I always try to learn a few things about the person behind the main subject. So it was nice knowing him. 🙂

      Thanks for dropping by. Keep coming.

  2. I often write blog posts about travel encounters and it’s refreshing to see that other people do it too. I think it’s awesome that you have written a post about this gentleman and his art. We take artistry of this kind of granted. Mostly, we just walk past markets etc. and ignore it because most of it could be produced in a factory somewhere in China. But then there are the real gems where you can watch an artist, like him, perform his magic and all of a sudden an object receives a whole lot of meaning. I remember the first time I travelled to Namibia or Bali, I returned with so many beautifully hand-crafted souvenirs…they still hold a very special place in my heart.

  3. Wow this takes some serious skill!! I totally agree, what a great souvenir! When I saw the title of the post I actually expected something about sand sculptures like they do on beaches across the world, though this is much more amazing. I would love to have the chance to travel to Jordan and watch the process!

  4. I love the story behind this artwork, not least that it’s a skill that has been handed down generation after generation. It’s really very impressive! Can they do customised designs?

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