Across the Middle East and North Africa, some villages wear their stories in colour, painted not by professional artists, but by women whose hands turned homes into canvases.

From the stone houses of Saudi Arabia’s Asir to the salt-brick dwellings of Egypt’s Siwa, women brushed walls with symbols of protection, joy, and identity.

These painted traditions transformed everyday spaces into living artworks, leaving behind these stunning villages where colour carries memory and meaning.

Rijal Alma, Saudi Arabia

Stone houses in the Asir mountains glow with Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, a geometric art form painted by women in dazzling reds, blues, and greens. Recognised by UNESCO, the tradition carries blessings, identity, and a rhythm that turns homes into living patterns.

Gharb Soheil, Aswan, Egypt

Facades blaze with cobalt blue, sandy yellow, and hand-painted murals of crocodiles and palms. Women and families in Nubian villages bring their homes to life with colour, reflecting joy and the eternal Nile flowing nearby.

Matmata, Tunisia

Troglodyte dwellings carved into the desert earth bear Amazigh women’s motifs on walls and ceramics; protective symbols etched into hidden spaces where daily life unfolded underground.

Tiznit & the Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Homes in southern Morocco carry hand-painted Amazigh symbols brushed by women: circles, diamonds, and fertility signs meant to shield, protect, and quietly express identity across courtyards and clay walls.

Al-Hajjarah, Haraz Mountains, Yemen

Perched villages in the Haraz mountains reveal flourishes of colour around windows and on walls. Local artisans, including women, wove their decorative touch into the stone and plaster, softening fortress-like silhouettes with quiet detail.

Siwa Oasis, Egypt

Salt-brick homes shimmer under desert light, with painted Amazigh motifs once traced by women across walls and ceramics. Diamonds, stars, and geometric forms offered protection, memory, and beauty in this isolated oasis.

Villages of Ouarzazate, Morocco

Mud-brick houses in the desert carry women’s hand-painted symbols: protective marks on thresholds and patterns that bless all who cross, reminders that art and survival have always intertwined here.

Tamegroute, Draa Valley, Morocco

Beyond its famous green pottery and labyrinthine ksar, the wider Draa Valley carries traces of women’s painted traditions. Geometric Amazigh motifs (including stars, diamonds, fertility signs) once adorned walls and interiors, adding colour and protection to the earth-toned homes of the desert.

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