The female face mask, which is regionally known as burqu or batula, is one of the most visible representations of the Persian/Arabian Gulf’s cultural heritage and regional material culture. These locally manufactured and hand-made bespoke masks reflect various changes and developments within societies on both littoral sides of the Gulf. Additionally, each individually hand-sewn mask represents the makers’ artistic originality and capability. They constitute a record of the intimate relationship that the mask maker has to her craft, family, friends, and her clientele, with each of these relationships adding considerable and previously unacknowledged value to this distinctive artefact. The face mask, therefore, to borrow a term from Daniel Miller, becomes a “physical embodiment” of a particular time in people’s lives and memories, which others can literally touch and wear. However, since the early 1970s, the custom of wearing the face mask as daily attire in the Gulf region has gradually begun to disappear and, consequently, knowledge of traditional crafting techniques has gradually declined. Through ethnographic research combined with close observation of the individual materials and techniques employed in crafting face masks, this paper investigates: 1) the major changes that have taken place in the use of raw materials, such as variations in colour, source, and price; 2) changes in the traditional manufacturing process and shifts in production methods, both of which must be understood in the context of wider socio-economic changes; 3) the individual experiences associated with the manufacturing process, which constitute a fundamental part of the living memories of people in the region. The compelling materialistic aspects of the face mask define the uniqueness of this fast-vanishing craft and emphasise the need to preserve traditional manufacturing skills and artisan knowledge. This paper also aims to revise and challenge the general assumption that the face mask is simply an object that covers a woman’s face. By contrast, this paper seeks to shed light on the vast personal and social significance of the face mask.