# Songket: Why a Piece of Cloth Can Take Months to Weave

> Songket is a hand-woven cloth whose pattern is formed by inserting gold or silver thread between the base threads — hand work done row by row on a two-pedal loom that can take weeks to months for a single piece, with Malaysia's production centred on Terengganu and Kelantan.

- Category: arts-culture
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/arts-culture/songket

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The sound most often heard in a songket workshop is not the sound of a machine. It is wood being pressed, thread being pulled, and a bamboo pick being slid in and drawn out — over and over, one row of pattern at a time, all day long.

That is the short answer to why a piece of songket costs what it does. The gold pattern on the cloth is not the work of a loom. It is the work of the weaver's hands, row by row.

## What is actually happening on the loom

Ordinary cloth is formed from two sets of thread: warp thread stretched lengthwise, and weft thread passed across it. Songket adds a third set — gold or silver thread inserted between the base threads purely to form the pattern, so that it appears to float above the coloured woven surface.

The loom is called a kek: a two-pedal floor loom, driven entirely by the weaver's feet and hands. The two pedals can only open and close the warp threads for the base weave. For the pattern, the weaver must lift the selected warp threads by hand using a bamboo pick or a nibung-palm blade, and only then is the metallic thread inserted.

Every row of the motif means one more round of the same hand work. That is why UNESCO describes songket as a fine cloth produced by months of skilled hand-weaving, and a single piece can take weeks to months to finish.

## What actually drives up the price

| Factor | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| Pattern density | A fully patterned cloth needs far more rows of songket-work than one where the pattern appears only at the head of the cloth and along the border |
| Weaving time | Weeks to months per piece — human time, not machine time |
| Materials | Silk or cotton as the base cloth, with gold or silver thread as the pattern thread |
| Skill | Knowledge passed down within families and villages, and through institutional training programmes — not a skill that can be learned in a few weeks |
| Division of labour | Women weave; men take part in the practice by making the weaving equipment |

The Department of National Heritage describes songket as the "queen" of Malay woven cloth precisely because of the complexity of producing it and its use of gold thread. Historically, the gold thread itself was a marker of status: only rulers, royalty and state dignitaries were permitted to wear it.

## Why Terengganu and Kelantan

Kraftangan Malaysia records that songket is believed to have originated on the East Coast, namely Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. The Department of National Heritage, in turn, lists Malaysia's songket weaving centres as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Melaka and Sarawak.

The east coast has remained the centre because the skill is passed down through generations within families and villages — the same structure that makes Kelantan and Terengganu centres of [batik](/en/arts-culture/batik) and Kelantan a centre of [wayang kulit](/en/arts-culture/wayang-kulit).

Its motifs take geometric forms as well as elements from nature such as flowers, birds and insects. The Department of National Heritage also records early influence from Indian traders, who brought gold thread, silver thread, silk and finished cloth into the region.

## Common mistakes

- **Assuming all gold-patterned cloth is songket.** Songket is defined by its technique — metallic thread inserted during weaving — not by the appearance of a gold pattern. A gold pattern that is printed or embroidered is not songket.
- **Comparing prices without looking at pattern density.** Two pieces of cloth the same size can differ several times over in weaving time depending on how much of the surface is patterned.
- **Assuming songket is exclusive to one country.** The Department of National Heritage records that songket is also found in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei.
- **Assuming a UNESCO listing means the craft is safe.** In the same decision, the UNESCO Committee reminded Malaysia to pay attention to the risk of over-commercialisation of this element.

## What's next

Songket was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2021, and today it is not merely ceremonial dress: the Department of National Heritage records that songket is now also used on curtains, table linen, handbags and craft items.

If you want to assess a piece of songket, start with a better question than "how much does it cost": how much of this cloth's surface is patterned, and how long did it take to weave. The official UNESCO listing record and the Department of National Heritage's website are good starting points for verifying origin and technique before you buy.

## Sources

- Songket — Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/songket-01505 (UNESCO)
- Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 16.COM 8.B.22 — Songket (Malaysia) — https://ich.unesco.org/en/decisions/16.COM/8.B.22 (UNESCO)
- Songket — Warisan Budaya Tidak Ketara — https://www.heritage.gov.my/en/vi-songket.html (Jabatan Warisan Negara)
- Songket — Info Kraf — https://www.heritage.gov.my/en/kraf.html?view=article&id=232:songket&catid=17 (Jabatan Warisan Negara)
- Seni Kraf Tenunan: Motif & Teknik — https://kraftangan.gov.my/info/penerbitan/seni-kraf-tenunan-motif-teknik (Perbadanan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia)

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