Natural Dyes Produced by Ancient Methods

Hyssop and caper bushes; almond, citron, olive, fig and pomegranate trees, grape vines and date palms - all these grace the winding paths of the 625-acre Neot Kedumim biblical landscape reserve in Israel. The fruits of these plants, enjoyed in ancient times, are still popular today. The prevailing vegetation as well as the lifestyles of long ago are exhibited in the Neot Kedumim reserve, whose latest endeavor is the production of dyes by ancient methods. Visitors to the reserves workshop can now gain hands-on experience in extracting dyes from trees, flowers and fruit and using them to color woolen thread.

The Neot Kedumim reserve was founded in 1965 in Israels Modiin region. Along its treelined walkways, activities are available. Depending on the season, visitors can thresh wheat, grind the grain into flour and bake bread; collect olives and press them into oil; make bricks with mud and straw, as the Israelites did in Egypt; and press grapes for wine. One can also view a 1,600-year-old wine press, ancient water cisterns, a millennia-old ritual bath and the remains of a Byzantine chapel. Visitors may choose to follow one of four marked paths, 2.5 to 3.5 kilometers long, which range from strolls suitable for small children to walks for the experienced hiker.

Plants mentioned in the Bible are grown here, in their native land. They are identified not only by their names but also by quotes from the Bible. Animals such as onagers, ostriches, wolves and row deer range freely in the reserve. These animals, still in danger of extinction, have been bred in wildlife reserves in the north and south of the country; they are set free in Neot Kedumim as a way of diversifying their habitats.

Another ancient activity reconstructed in Neot Kedumims is the production of dyes.

In biblical and post-biblical times, colored clothes were a luxury enjoyed only by royalty, priests and the well-off , since the process of dying thread was both time-consuming and difficult. The "coat of many colors" given to Joseph by his father must indeed have been a valuable gift. Animal-based dyes, especially the blues and purples extracted from snails, were the usual method of coloring threads. Later, dyes derived from plants were used to copy the blue and purple colors because the use of plants was a considerably less expensive process.

But whatever process was used, dying was a skilled job, so much so that often a dyer would specialize in one particular color. It was also an important source of income for ancient communities.

In Neot Kedumim today, henna, a red-orange dye used in Middle Eastern Jewish pre-nuptial ceremonies as well as for dying hair, is extracted from the dried, ground leaves of the henna tree; brick, an orange-brown color, is produced from the dried peels of pomegranates and nuts; and indigo, a blue dye used to color the original Levi jeans, is derived from the leaves of the indigo plant. Interestingly, the leaves of this plant are not blue in color, but blue dye can nonetheless be extracted from them when they are soaked in water and combined with a basic solution. As the ancient inhabitants of the Middle East knew, each of these processes had its season, when the plant was ripe for use; the dying schedule at Neot Kedumim thus changes by season. The dyes were used for coloring cotton, wool and linen threads which were then woven into cloth.

Neot Kedumim is about to embark on a more elaborate project - producing dyes from the stigma of the crocus plant. This plant was grown in the Land of Israel in ancient times, and while it was primarily used to produce the exclusive spice saffron, it was also a source of perfumes, medicines and dyes. All of these items were extracted from the stigma three tiny balls in each flower, which must be gathered early in the morning. The time-consuming nature of the harvest has made the items extracted from it valuable commodities.

Four hundred crocus flowers will be planted in Neot Kedumim in the spring, and they are expected to flower in the late fall. During the 24-hour blooming period of each flower, the Neot Kedumim staff will extract an orange-yellow dye from the flowers stigma.