A small mat woven from thick woolen yarn, conveying the traditions of Jordanian nomads in pale green and pink.

This is a small, hand-knitted mat, acquired in Amman, Jordan about 30 years ago. It has been kept unused on a shelf for textiles. The warp is made of thick, fluffy wool, and the weft is wool dyed in pale pink and light blue. It was likely made on a backstrap loom, commonly used by nomadic people in Jordan, to maintain tension on the warp threads.

The majority of the mat's base is undyed wool. The long fringe has impurities of small black specks from the spinning process, which is to be expected with handmade textiles. Additionally, some of the undyed skin-toned yarn is mixed with light gray and dark brown threads. Approximately 5 cm from one edge, light brown warp threads are woven in, creating a unique accent. The front and back are almost identical.

The mat has been washed once, and there was no color bleeding. Traditional nomadic mats often use natural dyes, and while this item has a subdued color palette, the absence of color bleeding suggests the use of chemical dyes.

The patterns are featured on both the top and bottom sides of the skin-toned mat. One edge has three mountain-like triangles above thin light green lines. The other edge features thick horizontal bands of pale pink and light blue. Within these bands, a large dome or forest-like shape in light blue is depicted, with what appears to be small pink hills in the distance.

Traditionally, nomadic people made rugs and other items from goat hair. However, in recent years, it is said that they use imported wool yarn from Syria and Turkey to knit mats. The dye that does not bleed is also likely imported.

Patterns drawn in the Jordanian desert have recently gained attention in Japan. This is a small, warm, and durable mat that combines modern materials with traditional Jordanian mat-weaving techniques.

Size: Length: 85 cm (excluding fringe), Fringe length: approx. 17-18 cm, Width: approx. 35 cm, Weight: approx. 900g