Building a sustainable economy around Omani heritage craft

“Omani heritage crafts are cultural capital that can be transformed into economic value, job opportunities and sustainable ventures,” said Zuwaina bint Sultan al Rashdi, an Omani entrepreneur in social investment and creative industries.
Through her project, Dar Alherfya Company (Handicrafts House), she seeks to move craftsmanship beyond heritage celebration and into the creative economy. Today, the company works with more than 1,000 families, artisans and producers across Oman, supporting them through training, development, production and marketing.
“I got close to the craftswomen, especially those who work at their homes, and I found exceptional skills,” she said. “But the challenge was not so much their ability to produce, as everything that comes after: accessing markets, developing products, pricing, maintaining quality, packaging and turning sporadic orders into steady income.” The experience led her to view craft not simply as heritage to be protected, but as a resource that can be invested in. Products managed by the company have reached sectors where traditional crafts were previously less present, including corporate gifts, hospitality and hotels, tourism products, sustainability and recycling projects, as well as regional markets and partnerships.
“My goal is for craftswomen to reach a stage where they can say: This is my profession, this is my income, this is my project, not just this is my hobby,” she said.

In one example, five craftswomen earned nearly RO12,000 in a month and a half, demonstrating, she said, that crafts can become a genuine economic activity when markets are accessible. Beyond the income itself, she highlighted its impact on families, from contributing to household expenses and children’s education to improving living standards.
One craftswoman’s statement has stayed with her: “I never knew that what I make at home could become a real source of income for me.” For al Rashdi, empowerment means more than financial assistance. “It is about building with her the capacity to generate and sustain her own income,” she said.
She also points to the potential of “purple jobs”, where culture, heritage, creativity and the economy intersect. Beyond artisans, the sector can create opportunities in product design, photography, graphic design, digital marketing, e-commerce, packaging, research, exhibition curation, museum and cultural-store management, interior design and quality control.

Turning traditional crafts into contemporary products, however, requires balancing development with identity. “Authenticity does not mean freezing the craft in its old form,” she said. Traditional techniques involving palm fronds, silver and textiles can be incorporated into contemporary products, from hospitality items and corporate gifts to accessories and everyday objects.
For international markets, she believes the identity itself does not need to change. Instead, presentation may need to evolve through size, function, packaging, pricing and storytelling. Her goal is for products to be seen not merely as “a beautiful Omani piece”, but as “an Omani brand I want to own.” Al Rashdi aspires to transform Dar Alherfya into a wider ecosystem for creative industries and social investment, extending from Oman to the Gulf and international markets.
“We are not preserving craft to keep it in the past; we are investing in it to shape the future,” she said.