The scent of UAE heritage and timeless tradition

The loving nurture of an infant is an element of motherhood that is as old as time. Depending on the country or the culture we’re from, the ways in which we care for our young may differ, but the desire remains the same: to raise a child that is happy, healthy and resilient.

An object that will soon go on permanent display at the Zayed National Museum in Saadiyat Cultural District symbolises this phase of Emirati motherhood in a simple, yet poignant, adornment: a baby’s necklace. Fashioned from yellow cotton with a traditional bu teela polka dot design, and filled with saffron, mahaleb cherry, black seed, and the seeds of handhal - a desert plant with a lemon-like fruit, the necklace formed an important part of a mother’s toolkit.

“Used after the baby’s morning bath or before a nap, the necklace with the aromas would soothe the baby and help it relax, providing a calming and pleasant scent for the baby,” explains Fatema Al Hammadi, a curator at Zayed National Museum. “To make the necklace, the mother would first pound the herbs and sift them into a mix, then stitch the mix into whatever fabric they had at hand. A thread would then be attached to keep it on the baby’s neck.”

Having a contented baby allowed mothers to get on with the many other tasks they were responsible for within the family. And what a to-do list it was. “Apart from child-rearing and homemaking, women were generally the family healer and educator; they would also have to build the tent and tend the sheep and goats,” explains Al Hammadi.

The story of the necklace and those of the resilient lives of Emirati women have been gathered from Zayed National Museum’s outreach programme. It involves curators from the museum, including Al Hammadi, travelling across the seven emirates to speak to older generations who recall both their own memories and the stories of their forebears. This vital documentation forms the oral histories, which are related throughout the museum, especially in the To Our Roots gallery where the necklace will be displayed. The gallery explores Emirati identity by looking at the traditional lifestyle, customs and social practices that prevailed in the inland areas of the Emirates.

“This was a job I was born to do,” says Al Hammadi of her role in the outreach programme. “I love talking to the older generation as my research. Even as a child, I would always be in the majlis with my grandmother listening closely as the women talked. Then, as a student at Zayed University on field trips to Al Ain, I was learning about the histories of the older people as they described their lives and traditions that have been passed down. These experiences really inspired my career.”

Al Hammadi was born and raised in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region – coincidentally the same region where the necklace was discovered. “The owner’s name is Alabda Ali Murshid Almarar and she had made the necklace for her own babies in the 1950s. She would have been taught how to soothe her family in this way by her mother or grandmother – and she still makes the necklaces for babies in her own family.”

It is this kind of detail that makes the exhibits in the To Our Roots gallery so fascinating. They represent the significance of the female role in Emirati society and the strong values they lived by. Visitors will hear inspiring stories of how women thrived, even turning their hand to skills such as falconry to hunt, as well as the more joyous tasks of helping organise weddings, which were very much community affairs.

“These strong, creative, resilient women are all documented and their stories are integral to the visitor experience,” says Al Hammadi. “There are so many ways to access the information to engage visitors of every age. Our galleries will be sensory, so you can watch a video, listen to audio, smell perfume and spices or witness a live performance. Our aim is that our content remains with visitors long after they leave the museum.”

Personally, Al Hammadi feels that, although her generation’s lives are very different to their female ancestors, their values, ethics, and etiquette are deeply rooted in them. “I could not live without them,” she says. “You see strong Emirati women everywhere today and they remain at the heart of our community.” Visitors to Zayed National Museum will soon be able to witness for themselves just why that is.”