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Exquisite Syrian crafts struggle to survive in war-torn country
Be it Damascus brocade work, mother of-pearl inlay artistry or breathtakingly beautiful wooden carvings, Syrian handcraft have been famous worldwide for centuries. Now, these exquisite art forms are struggling to stay alive in war-torn Syria.
By
migrator
migrator
Damascus
In his cramped workshop in Damascus, Mohammad Abdallah delicately etches away at wooden panels inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a craft he perfected over a decade before the outbreak of Syria’s war. “I worry for the fate of the Damascene mother-of-pearl craft because of the lack of labour and the difficulty in acquiring and transporting raw materials,” the 43-year-old says.
Like many other craftsmen, Abdallah was forced to abandon his spacious warehouse on the outskirts of Damascus when fighting broke out. Workforce have abandoned the locality in droves, while local buyers are unable to afford the stunning work due to severe devaluation of the Syrian pound.
Steep fall
Since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011, more than 260,000 people have been killed and millions have fled their homes. But the war has also taken a toll on the country’s renowned traditional craft, from ornate wooden furniture to the rich, golden stitching of its famed brocade fabrics.
The artisanal designs were popular among tourists, who generated about 12 percent of Syria’s pre-war gross domestic product. But with tourism virtually non-existent and travel across the country growing more difficult by the day, craftsmen in Damascus are in despair. “If the situation continues like this, there will be no more craftsmen left in Syria, says Mohammad Fayyad, a researcher on cultural heritage.
Crushing Art
- Be it Damascus brocade work, mother-ofpearl inlay artistry or breathtakingly beautiful wooden carvings, Syrian handcraft have been famous worldwide centuries. Now, these exquisite art forms are struggling to stay alive in war-torn Syria.
- In 2009, Syria had 18,000 and 39,000 unregistered craftsmen.
- By 2015, between 70 and 80 percent had left the trade in Damascus and Aleppo.
- Fine fabrics, dating to 1929 in stock on Tailors Row. No new fabric in last five years.
- Famed embroidered aghbani cloth production down from 60 to 3.
- No foreigners to buy brocade and locals cannot afford them.
- Ten fold increase in cost of good quality silk fabric needed for embroidery.
- Tourists accounted for 95 % of customers before war.
- New generation unwilling to learn trade as there is no income generated.
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