Discovering the Tentmakers of Cairo

By Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief — The Nugget Newspaper

Fabric artists and supporters of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show will have the opportunity to venture across three continents to immerse themselves in the heritage of the Tentmakers of Cairo.

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., The Roundhouse Foundation presents a virtual event with Jenny Bowker and the Tentmakers of Cairo, where participants will learn about intricate textile artworks that are unique to Egypt. Over the past 15 years, Bowker has been instrumental in bringing the art of Khayamiya, Egyptian Tentmaker Applique, to an international audience. Participants are invited to join Jenny with Ahmen Kamal and Hany Mahmoud of the Tentmakers as Jenny presents her story of connection with these craftsmen and their beautiful handiwork. Tickets are $25 per person and are available for purchase at www. soqs.org/events. Proceeds help support the Quilt Show.

The Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo wends its way back into the mists of time. There, stitchers operating out of tiny stall shops have — for centuries and all by hand — produced exquisite and intricate designs backed by canvas panels that made up the sometimes massive tents of desert Arabs and Ottoman Sultans. While the work still makes up the walls of tents, today the panels may also be wall hangings, or hung as backdrops and windbreaks for outdoor events and activities. Designs range from images of the ancient Egypt of the pharaohs, to the designs found in Islamic mosques, to folk art that recounts fables.

Master Stitcher Mustafa El Laithy.

Bowker, the wife of an Australian diplomat, first encountered the Street of the Tentmakers in 1979. She was intrigued by the speed and quality of their work, but she wasn’t yet a quilter and admittedly didn’t have a strong sense of connection to textiles.

“I was just thinking… this would just blow the minds of some quilters I know,” Bowker said.

When she came back during the first Gulf War in the 1990s, she revisited the street. But it wasn’t until 2005, when her husband arrived as Australia’s Ambassador to Egypt, that a true connection was made.

“On the second day I went straight down to that street… By then I was a quilter and I was really fascinated by it, so every week would find me down there for a couple of afternoons, getting to know the people, talking to them, finding out about the work,” she recalled.

To her surprise, Bowker found that the Tentmakers were not well known on the international fabric arts scene. Soon enough, she would change that.

She persuaded organizers of a quilting exhibition in Melbourne to fly a couple of the Tentmakers to Australia for a live demonstration of their ancient craft. It proved to be a tremendous hit — and it drew the interest of events in Europe and the U.S.

“There was an incredible explosion of interest,” Bowker said.

Bowker started bringing a rotation of Tentmakers to events across the globe.

“They’ve probably been to 23 countries since that first event,” Bowker said.

The international exposure had a strong impact on the Street, where the ancient craft had been in slow decline, evidenced by a shrinking number of shops. Despite their skill, the Tentmakers were not held in high esteem in Egyptian society, and guides for tourists neglected them. As they came to share in the international recognition, competitors began to cooperate— and their sense of their own worth grew.

“The fact that they held themselves a little straighter — it was magical,” Bowker said.

Bowker is also gratified that the connections made with these master craftsmen can show another aspect of a culture that has often seemed alien and threatening over the past two decades. She loves that her fellow quilters get to “see the warmth and the humor and the gentle quality that Arab men carry.”

Bowker has established rigorous protocols for events.

“I agreed with the Street that I only take owners of shops,” she said. “They take work from all up and down the Street.”

She also insists that the work brought to shows be truly representative of Egyptian art.

Work from 1940s in Tarek al Safty’s collection.

Some of that work will be on hand at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, though the event must be virtual due to ongoing pandemic restrictions.

Bowker’s presentation is a visual feast, and the history and cultural depth of the work is profound. Bowker also hopes that quilters who participate will take inspiration from the sheer simplicity of the Tentmakers’ endeavor. That in itself can carry a powerful message in a field that can convince fabric artists that they can only work effectively if they have the latest equipment. “Gadgets” can be wonderful, but the Tentmakers’ ancient way of work shows that there is another way, a way that brings its own kind of satisfaction.

Ahmed Naguib with one of his reproduction pieces, recreating historic work.

“The process for them is dead simple,” she said. “It doesn’t have gadgets. It can be something that is done for the sheer joy of it, with very minimal tools.”

For more information on Jenny Bowker, visit www.jenny bowker. com.

Atef in his shop on The Street of the Tentmakers.