Hadab making in Umm Qais: a guide to the tassel workshop

Hadab making offers a small-scale craft experience in Umm Qais: a chance to slow down, watch a sequence of hand movements and try it yourself. A beginner project can reveal the patience behind an ornamental detail that is easy to overlook on a finished textile.

Understand the craft and the beginner project

Baraka Destinations describes tahdeeb as the process of adding tassels to the sides of a keffiyeh. Its hadab workshop teaches the technique on a sample bookmark that participants take home. Source: official operator listing.

This distinction helps set expectations. You are booking an introduction to a technique through a small project, rather than assuming you will finish the edging of an entire headdress. Ask which materials and tools will be used in your session.

Published details to confirm

The activity page lists a one-hour duration, a minimum age of ten and a maximum of ten participants. It includes the bookmark, tools and refreshments and describes the activity as non-seasonal. These details are useful for planning, but they still require confirmation for your chosen date. Source: hadab activity details.

Ask for the total price, meeting point and language of instruction. Check whether you are joining a group and whether the stated duration includes the introduction and finishing time. If younger children will accompany you, discuss that before arrival rather than assuming they can participate.

Explain any needs involving seating, vision or hand movement. A craft described as easy can still require fine, repeated movements, and the organiser is best placed to explain what assistance is available.

Follow the sequence patiently

Watch the first demonstration before trying to keep up. Ask the artisan to repeat one movement at a time if you lose the sequence. An uneven first attempt is part of learning; understanding how a mistake happened is more useful than rushing to hide it.

Try asking how the maker learned, which stages take longest and how the technique changes for different projects. Let the host discuss their own experience without expecting them to speak for every textile worker in Jordan.

Ask permission before recording close-up demonstrations or photographing people. Keep tools and materials where the instructor directs, and allow other participants enough space to work comfortably.

Take the learning beyond the session

Before leaving, ask how to protect the finished bookmark during travel and whether there is a simple way to practise the technique at home. If buying another item, ask about the materials and care instructions rather than assuming all textiles should be washed alike.

Our basket-weaving guide introduces a different local craft activity. The Umm Qais site guide provides an archaeological counterpart for another part of the day.

Plan transfers with our Jordan transport guide, keeping the workshop appointment fixed and leaving enough time for the journey. A relaxed hour with one technique can be more memorable than several hurried demonstrations.

Operator information checked on 27 October 2026. Confirm current price, availability and participation requirements directly; this article is not a firsthand workshop review.