Sand Art - My New Hobby!

Amazing 3 dimensional art using colored sand to form clever and amazing scenes and works of art in a bottle!  There are many sand artists throughout Jordan, and just as any art/craft work varies in quality and uniqueness, so do these amazing pictures made using sand.

Various works for sale by Mahmoud in his shop 'Yamen'

Throughout our time in Jordan, we saw quite a few different street vendors and bazaar shops selling this sand art – anywhere from tiny little souvenir bottles, through to large jugs and vases with spectacular artworks inside.

The technique from artist to artist does vary, and it’s just incredible to watch one being made from start to finish. It’s hard not to just let yourself get carried away and buy the first one you ever see be created in awe and amazement, as you see these fabulous scenes comes together in front of your eyes.  Remember though, there is no pressure to buy the first one you see, as you really are buying an artwork in itself as the souvenir, and you want to get one that has a little more memory behind it…

Watching and learning how to make my very own sand art bottle

We found a small little sand art shop at Yamen Mini Market  (just down from the Movenpick hotel) in Aqaba, a port city in Jordan near the border of Israel and Egypt, that has been selling sand art in the family since 1935! This is a great place to go if you want to get hands on and have a go at creating your own scene of camels walking through the sand dunes (with a little bit of training of course!) Mahmoud, the shop owner and artist, would show me on one side of the bottle, and then I had the chance to try it out myself on the other side of the bottle. This makes it all a bit more personal, and also makes  you further appreciate the work in each one, as it’s certainly not as easy to do as it looks!

Attempting my first ever sand art...

Using a piece of wire to move the sand and create the details

Upon finishing my first ever sand masterpiece, Mahmoud offered the  small bottle of sand to me as a gift, which was a very nice change after being coerced by so many other vendors, to just buy buy buy! We went on after this to purchase a personalized sand art in a jug like bottle, with ‘Jordan’ written in Arabic inside the bottle. This adds a nice personal touch, and is no extra cost either, like many other street vendors will try and charge you for. So, while the original price (8 JOD / 12 USD) may be slightly higher than what you have seen about on the street, keep in mind that what you’re getting probably isn’t near as good either AND you don’t get that hands on experience – which really made my day! We made quite a time of it, and spent about an hour in the store learning all about the art, and just chatting over a cool drink and getting to know a little about him and his family, enjoying some great Jordanian hospitality.

Pamela and Mahmoud with our finished masterpieces

Mahmoud makes  good quality, long lasting sand art, made from superior sand that’s colored using printer ink, instead of food coloring like many other  cheap vendors mostly use, that in time – will definitely fade, and blend with the sand around it, leaving you with a fuzzy, hazy like dull picture after a while. The finished product you will get at Yamen, has glue ran through the sand from the top to the bottom, so the picture actually sets together like cement – keeping the sand tight for a crisp beautiful artwork!  I (PW) would definitely recommend going here if you are interested in seeing something different, and to see a great passionate professional in the industry at work!

Cheers for Now - 

Pamela and Dave