The Shital Pati from Sylhet of Bangladesh has been recognised as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The decision came on Wednesday at the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee’s meeting at Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.
Weaving Shital Pati mats (‘Shital Pati’ translates to ‘cool mat’, from the fact that it helps to keep cool, be it as a mat for sitting on or to hang on doors or windows during summer) is an age-old cultural tradition of Bangladesh.
Traditional art of Shital Pati weaving of Sylhet just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, #Bangladesh #IntangibleHeritage #12COM https://t.co/1UeKwlwk3R pic.twitter.com/IHmGFDhSQM
— UNESCO (@UNESCO) December 6, 2017It consists of weaving together the green cane slips of the murta plants, indigenous to the region.
Shital Pati is the fourth item to be recognised from the country as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The other three items are Baul songs, Jamdani Weaving and Mangol Shobhajatra.