Henna: Rituals, Aesthetic and Social Practices

Henna is a traditional plant-based practice common in hot regions, especially across North Africa and the Middle East. Its leaves are harvested, dried, and ground to prepare a paste used for adornment, particularly by women to dye hair, fingertips, hands, and feet.
Henna is closely associated with joy and celebration, appearing in daily life as well as special occasions such as weddings and births. Its rituals are often accompanied by songs, chants, proverbs, and poems, and are linked to long-standing social customs.
The knowledge of growing henna, preparing the paste, and applying it is passed down through families and communities, while beauty centers, universities, media, and cultural organizations also help preserve and transmit the tradition today.

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Henna: Rituals, Aesthetic and Social Practices was inscribed in 2024 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen.