(EB) is an independent Syrian media organization founded in 2011. EB provides 24-hour news reports through its multilingual interactive website and publishes a weekly newspaper covering Syrian politics and society.
Copyright © 2021 Enab Baladi. Enab Baladi is a non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID. 46-3313735
The war that broke out in Syria a few years ago not only caused casualties and social losses, but also affected Syria’s traditionally well-known industries, such as glass, copperplate, weaving and other handicraft industries.
As a result of the war and its aftermath, more than 80% of handicrafts have been damaged. There are many obvious reasons. After the tourism sector is paralyzed, the demand for products has decreased. The tourism sector used to be a big market for these products, except for residents’ high prices due to rising costs. Reluctant to buy at record prices.
Some of the main reasons for the decline of these industries are the retirement of a large number of workers and the migration of "veteran craftsmen" to the Gulf region because they have provided attractive offers after losing most of their workshops. war.
One of the most famous industries where production has fallen is Aleppo soap known as "Aleppo's Green Gold". It is considered one of the oldest soaps ever made. It is widely spread all over the world because it contains natural substances and vegetable oils that are good for the skin.
It is estimated that most of the soap factories in more than 60 factories have suffered indiscriminate shelling, their locations have become front lines, and export trucks have become targets.
All these reasons led to the erosion of Aleppo’s prestigious industry and its extinction in the ongoing war. Before 2010, about 600 tons of soap were exported all over the world.
Other famous handicrafts that are disappearing include Syrian handmade textiles. The history of this industry can be traced back thousands of years, because people believe that Syria is the first and oldest home of this industry in the world.
There are more than 100 kinds of handmade textiles, each with more than 20 varieties, such as brocade, brocade (related to Damascus) and Aghabani.
In the past few years, due to the war, the weaving industry has faced many obstacles, resulting in a 50% reduction in output.
The situation of the copper plate industry is not better than the above situation, as many workers in the industry retired, it has experienced a sharp decline in the past few years.
Syria’s historically well-known industry is now in a cycle of extinction due to high prices and Syrian citizens’ reluctance to buy any products, reaching a price of 3,500 US dollars, except for the suspension of tourism that once represented. The largest proportion of customer departments.
Damascus mosaics are considered to be one of the oldest and most famous occupations in which the city of Damascus was and is now known. It is the art of inlaying wood with shells or so-called mosaics, in which shell materials are inlaid in different kinds of wood.
In 2010, Fouad Arbash, chairman of the Damascus Oriental Product Craft Conference, told the local media that there were 150 artisans associated with the conference, of which 100 were in the wooden mosaic industry and 50 were in mosaic manufacturing, stained glass, glass painting and shell inlays. The value of products exported abroad each year before the war exceeded 100 million Syrian pounds.
However, due to insufficient product sales and high prices, the industry has faced a significant decline in the past five years.
For thousands of years, the city of Damascus has been known for making glass, so much so that it has become a model proverb, "Thinner than Damascus glass."
Stained glass is one of the oldest crafts in Damascus, and its history can be traced back to 2000 years. The name (Moaashaq)'stained' is derived from the coherence between the gypsum substance and the glass. This coherence is described as (Isheq/passion) because of the cohesion and harmony between the color and the plaster.
In an interview with the Al-Watan newspaper favored by the Syrian regime, Marwan Dabbas, chairman of the Damascus Craftsmen Union, warned in an interview last June that the number of handicraft and handicraft workers in Syria is rapidly declining.
He explained that “the difficulty facing the artisan sector is the continued loss of labor until we can say that it is almost non-existent.” He asserted that most artisans nowadays are novices and it takes a long time to acquire the required expertise.
Dabas added that the wages of the labor force have risen tenfold, which has affected their supply due to the lack of a market to sell all these crafts.
Unless the war is over, Syria’s historical heritage is in danger of loss and extinction. Unless the war is over and the agreed government takes steps to restore the charm of these industries, these industries tell the story of Syria for thousands of years.
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(EB) is an independent Syrian media organization founded in 2011. EB provides 24-hour news reports through its multilingual interactive website and publishes a weekly newspaper covering Syrian politics and society.
Copyright © 2021 Enab Baladi. Enab Baladi is a non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID. 46-3313735
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