Fayoum has more than one pottery tradition. At al-Nazla, one family has passed down the hand-forming of round, unglazed water jars by hammer and anvil, with straw or ash worked into the clay so the water inside is cooled by evaporation.
At Tunis, a school founded by Swiss potters in 1990 trained villagers to throw, decorate, glaze and fire, and the village now has more than twenty-five workshops. A morning at a wheel is enough to find the centre, lose it, and understand why neither way is quick.
Two villages, two opposite answers to the same material, in one morning.
How it could run
A proposed shape, confirmed with you when it is arranged.
- At al-Nazla, watch round water jars formed by hammer and anvil.
- At Tunis, sit at a wheel and find the centre of the clay.
- Open a first form, raise it, lose it, and try again.
- See how glazing and firing work, and whether a piece can be sent on to you.
