So good you can bottle it

Abdallatif Sarhan Gao [Erqiang / China Daily]

From 9:30am in the morning to 9:30pm at night, seven days a week, Abdallatif Sarhan and his five brothers work tirelessly creating art from colored sand and a glass bottle. The results are beautiful and intriguing sand art bottles, which are one of the most popular souvenir items at the Jordan Pavilion.

Abdallatif, 36, and his brothers hope that visitors to the Expo 2010 Shanghai will appreciate this century-old Jordanian art, originated by his family.

The brothers can be found working diligently in a corner of the Jordan Pavilion, which is a part of the Asia Joint Pavilion II and shares space with Palestine and several other Middle Eastern countries.

"We came here to show," said Abdallatif.

"It's the biggest Expo we have been to," said the artist, who has brought the art to the last four World Expos. "The Chinese visitors love it because it is new to them."

The sand bottles, with their intricate sand designs, are arguably the most popular souvenir in the Jordan Pavilion.

These stunning pieces of art are done by hand using long, thin sticks, deep concentration and foresight in moving the sand into position in the bottle. Creating the design in the glass bottles can be compared to building structures from bottom to top. There is no room for error because correcting mistakes is incredibly difficult.

The most common sand bottle designs feature animals, landscapes and portraits. These magnificent designs are permanent even if the bottle is shaken vigorously, so buyers know these masterpieces last a lifetime.

The Sarhan family created this style of artwork about 100 years ago. Then, it only featured simple scenes such as the skyline and the desert, said Abdallatif.

Abdallatif's parents developed the skill by creating flowers, camels and other designs.

Now the Jordanian artist and his brothers "can do anything" with the dyed sand and can complete the work quickly - about three minutes for a mini-size bottle.

"(Visitors) can't wait too long," he said, adding that the short amount of time is not a problem for them.

"We grew up with the art," Abdallatif said. "I don't remember how I started it."

Both men and women in the family, including Abdallatif's three sisters, earn a living from the art. Only the Sarhan family and about 25 other individuals produce the bottles in Jordan, which makes the souvenir unique and special.

For the Expo, Abdallatif's family flew about four tons of sand and 8,000 bottles in different sizes to Shanghai, a city he has yet to explore.

The products have sold very well, Abdallatif said. "But I hope I can have some time for traveling."