Dar Huwaija

In the heart of Hofuf's Qaisariyah Souq, Dar Huwaija is a café and a crafts shop at once, describing itself as an enterprise devoted to marketing and developing the handmade and cultural products of Al-Ahsa. Its name is explained by the house itself: huwaija is the diminutive of haja, a thing one needs, used by people of Al-Ahsa for a particular material object. The word carries, as they put it, a warm ring tied to grandmothers, who use it most when they bring a huwaija to a grandchild as an indulgence. Its sections cover bisht cloaks, embroidery, leather and palm-frond work, pottery, wooden pieces and the produce of the oasis, alongside a section it calls the art shop, which carries the work of named local artisans and artists. It also ships through an online store, so a visit is one way to reach it rather than the only one.