Tartous-Sana
Based on the importance of preserving the heritage on the Syrian coast and creating a place that provides a gathering of artisans in Tartous Governorate, the opening of the permanent handicraft market on the sea corniche in the city came as a culmination of great efforts from the concerned authorities and in response to the demands of the craftsmen to be a platform that secures them continuity in work and marketing opportunities in addition to preserving these professions.
A member of the Executive Office of the Artisans Union in Tartous, Munther Ramadan, stated in a statement to SANA that the market includes 57 craftsmen and craftswomen belonging to the union that have been distributed to 19 stores on the ferry site opposite Al Talaa Park on the Corniche, and it will be a permanent market for handicrafts and traditional and traditional crafts and a real incubator for continuous training to transmit this Inherited to those who want to learn it, in addition to being a permanent exhibition, destination and tourist landmark, including the crafts and arts on the heritage of our coast.
Engineer Fadi Deeb, Vice President of the City Council, explained in a similar statement that within the framework of preserving heritage and encouraging craftsmen, the city council presented the aforementioned site to be a permanent location for displaying these works, as a contract was organized for its investment between the Council and the Union of Craftsmen for a period of ten years in exchange for the minimum occupancy fee contained in The Financial Law to deepen and enhance the concept of heritage with all its components. The project was also implemented and prepared from the independent budget of the governorate through the duly organized contract with the General Company for Building and Reconstruction at a value of 24 million Syrian pounds.
Rod Suleiman, director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority branch, said that the first step in cooperation with the Craftsmen Union was the launch of a free training course with the opening of the market for about 12 women to teach the bamboo industry, which will be followed by subsequent courses on other professions and trades to be partners in preserving and teaching the region’s heritage.
The craftsmen, in turn, talked about the importance of the permanent market and considered it a long-awaited dream, as the craftsman Siham Qassem, who works in the field of gemstone accessories, said, hoping that it would be an opportunity to find foreign markets with the advent of the summer season and tourism, while the craftsman, Rima Maarouf, who works in the field of textile recycling, saw that the market A dream fulfilled to give a moral impulse to develop work and creativity in a manner parallel to development while preserving the originality of the product.
The craftsman, Muhammad Ghanem, has been working in the shoe and leather industry for more than thirty years. He considered that events create an opportunity for him to introduce this ancient profession and its distinction and creativity in light of the spread of modern leather factories, while craftsman Hassan Shaaban found it necessary to develop the product and inform market visitors about the secrets of the soap industry. Manual, its advantages, value and many benefits.
The craftsman Samia Khader confirmed that the profession market provides her with additional marketing opportunities for the House of Mouna products, which she has been working with for about ten years, especially with the tendency of many to buy natural health products.
Craftsman Mahmoud Hilah presented a set of paintings made of seashell material, believing in the importance of utilizing the combination of the sea and its outputs such as seashells, sand and sea pebbles to produce various materials and to show the coastal environment in its integrated meaning.
The wounded had an important presence in the market, especially after many of them went to learn different professions, confirming their continuation of life. The wounded, Farid Ali, who works in the field of making household appliances from bamboo material, wished that the market would open new horizons towards promotion, while the wounded Medi Yusef presented various models of His home wooden works made of antique wood, considering his presence with a number of his wounded companions and craftsmen as a good gesture to benefit from the ideas and works presented in the market.
Fatima Hussain