Homs-Sana
The Arab blacksmith profession in Homs is still steadfast despite the development of tools and the change of time. Shops are spread in the Bab Hood neighborhood in the archaeological and heritage market area, and they manufacture agricultural tools that are of interest to farmers despite the damage caused to the market as a result of terrorism.
Some of the blacksmithing shops in the covered markets have returned to work and produce agricultural tools in a scene that brings back some pictures of the beautiful past and the elaborate handmade creativity in Syrian hands.
The septuagenarian craftsman Nazmi Al-Masry stands in his shop, whose area does not exceed a few square meters, to bend iron and manufacture it perfectly, using what is known as the kur, i.e. a special furnace to soften the iron pieces to be manufactured and produce sickles for harvesting, axes, and railways for cultivation and plowing.
Al-Masry told SANA reporter: The profession of blacksmithing requires high craftsmanship in ironing, as it uses coal to operate it and has a fan that helps borrow fire in it. He also uses the hammer and anvil in addition to the grinding machine to sharpen knives, machetes and some other iron pieces.
Al-Masry pointed out that the number of people working in this profession is very few despite the demand for manufactured tools because some mountainous areas cannot be reached by the farmer by tractor and therefore must be harvested with machetes, and he does not dispense with the use of manual agricultural machines made of iron, indicating that his products are iron. It is popular with various rural environments.
Al-Masry pointed out that he began his work in the Arab blacksmith profession when he was 13 years old in the place of his father, who inherited it from his grandfather with love and passion, as the profession gave him strength and solidity.
Al-Masry’s shop includes the oldest and rarest tools hanging on its walls from axes, shovels, hammers and horns used by pits basalt stone for architecture, mills for grinding, in addition to forks for plowing the land by hand, harrows, iron horns for animals, chains and others.
Not far from Al-Masry's shop, Samih Al-Qaj works as an Arab blacksmith in his shop again, as he returned to it six months ago and manufactures most of the agricultural and industrial tools.
all good
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