Pottery and Jarapas

A visit to Níjar is a visit to its craftsmanship, known for preserving the tradition both in ceramics and in its jarapas (or "harapas"). The ceramic pieces come from the hands of experienced craftsmen, with centuries of tradition, and a typical coloring that distinguishes them from the industrial ones. They are a real treasure with an arduous work, as well as the "jarapas", which are still made in the looms. All of them are acquired as a souvenir of the passage through this Villa, but have been used in daily life by the inhabitants of the place. Some of the workshops or trades can be visited and see live the different processes. Nijareña pottery, with centuries of tradition, is a manual process that begins with the potter on his wheel at ground level makes the different pieces emerge with techniques and processes that have been passed down from generation to generation. After the drying process, the dyes are applied, obtained with metal oxides, and whose decoration has very peculiar features. The baking, although in the past it was done in wood-fired ovens, is now done in more modern ovens that allow a constant temperature to be maintained. The pieces are varied and range from utensils for daily life to those necessary for transporting water. Nowadays they are still used for these purposes although they have also become decorative elements due to their great quality and beauty. Nijar is also a land of looms that were made with scraps or "rags" on wooden frame looms, anchored to the ceiling and walls, with horizontal warp and pedals to move the threads alternately so that the shuttle in its back and forth route interweaves the fabric and forms the jarapa. The choice of colors and the randomness makes each of these pieces unique and of great beauty. In the past, they were used to protect mattresses, as a spreader (to pick olives) and as blankets. Nowadays they still maintain this function, but they are also used for decoration as tapestries and carpets.