Beading is a skill that is used to embellish and decorate fabrics by sewing different beads to the cloth to create a decorative pattern.

Beading may be used to complement crafts which are created using various other skills such as embroidery and weaving. By using different sizes, colors, and textures of beads, intricate and unique designs are created to decorate everything from clothing to cloth furnishings such as pillows and bedcovers. There are an infinite number of ways in which different kinds of beads can be put together to create traditional designs which reflect the culture from which they originated. Historically, various cultures have employed the skill of beading to decorate cloth and the skill itself dates back to almost 5,000 years.

In Egypt, Markaz works in a number of areas to revive and develop crafts which employ the traditional skill of beading. In Nag3 Ghalalab in the Western Aswan, women working with Markaz through a local NGO make a wide range of beaded crafts which are sold by Markaz. In the Sinai as well, Markaz works with Bedouin women who make unique embroidered and beaded crafts. These crafts are in fact designed by Markaz and are sent to St. Catherine in the Sinai to be decorated with embroidery and beading. They include a wide range of crafts such as pillows, bedcovers and various embroidered and beaded cloth products.