From Qassim to the world: HERFAH continues empowering women and preserving Saudi heritage
From Qassim, where traditional crafts are rooted in Saudi history, the association has worked to preserve craft heritage, empower craftspeople and turn manual…
Editorial Team
Akhbar Al Watan 24 — Riyadh
From Qassim, where traditional crafts are rooted in Saudi history, HERFAH Association began a journey to preserve craft heritage, empower male and female craftspeople and turn manual skills into products with cultural and economic value.
HERFAH is a pioneering Saudi craft-sector initiative. It began in 2008 as a cooperative association and was registered as a civil association in 2023 under license 5453, continuing to preserve heritage and develop handicrafts in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
From Qassim to the world
A significant milestone was its UNESCO accreditation in 2024 among non-governmental organizations working to safeguard intangible cultural heritage.
This recognizes the association's role and experience in preserving traditional knowledge and skills, supporting their sustainability and transmitting them to future generations.
Empowering Saudi women and craftspeople
The association focuses on training craftspeople, developing production and design capabilities and providing marketing opportunities.
It links traditional crafts with modern market needs and encourages design innovation while preserving authenticity and Saudi identity.
It received the 2022 award for the association with the greatest growth in women's participation, reflecting its work to strengthen women's presence in the sector.
Figures reflecting its work
Indicators published on its official website include: • 9,370 beneficiaries of programmes and services. • 283 training courses. • 184 trainers. • 19 workshops.
These figures show its announced training and qualification efforts, although the page does not specify the period covered by all indicators.
Fifty-one names on the founders' list
The founding-members document reviewed by Akhbar Al Watan 24 lists 51 women, headed by Princess Nourah bint Mohammed bin Saud Al Saud. Among the women named are Nawal bint Abdullah Al-Ajaji, Latifah bint Sulaiman Al-Humaid and Zahwah Omar Al-Awad.
Names in the document
Founders' names in the official document
The list reflects Saudi women's participation in safeguarding cultural heritage and community and craft work.
Saudi crafts: cultural heritage and economic opportunity
HERFAH's experience emphasizes heritage industries as a creative economic sector, not merely traditional products.
Handicrafts carry communities' stories and generations' skills while offering opportunities for small businesses, productive families, designers and entrepreneurs.
Combining heritage conservation, training, production and marketing, HERFAH illustrates the non-profit sector's contribution to Saudi Arabia's creative economy.
Its core message remains that preserving a craft means not only remembering it, but turning it into a sustainable skill, contemporary product and economic opportunity for future generations.
Official HERFAH links
Official website: herfah.org.sa X: @herfah_ksa LinkedIn: HERFAH Association UNESCO accreditation: HERFAH UNESCO record Email: [email protected]
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