Damascus-SANA
The Oriental Craft Association in Damascus seeks to introduce the various products of craftsmen, which include traditional handcrafted industries such as glass, wood, textile and metal products, in order to achieve a rewarding economic return for its workers.
Fouad Arbash, head of the Oriental Craft Association in Damascus, said in a statement to SANA reporter that their products include blowing and shaping glass, interlacing, shells, mosaics, brocade fabrics, damasco, rugs, metal and stone products, accessories and traditional ornaments. Our products in foreign exhibitions in cooperation with the ministries and concerned authorities to introduce them and support the export process.
Regarding the difficulties that impede work, Arbish explained that the most prominent obstacles to work are securing energy sources of electricity and fuel, in addition to the lack of necessary raw materials and their high prices, and the weak tourism movement, since heritage products depend mostly on tourists, in addition to the migration of some craftsmen and damage to a number of craft facilities.
Arbesh pointed out that there are 400 craftsmen registered with the association, in addition to a large number of non-affiliates, and work is currently underway to establish a craft complex in the Bab Sharqi area to collect the largest number of traditional crafts and provide the necessary support for their work, since most of the craftsmen currently work in separate, random places near the city of Damascus, such as Al-Dawila. And the drummer, pointing out that the association is working in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry to hold free training courses with the aim of attracting the young generation from 18 to 35 years of age, and to preserve these professions and to compensate for the shortage of skilled craftsmen.
For her part, Hiba Saleh, the faience craft trainer, explained that a three-month training course was held, from which 60 trainees graduated from the Bab Sharqi Center in the Craftsmen Complex (Khan al-Zajj) for five basic crafts, which are ceramics, faience, jewelry, traditional ornaments, applying enamel on glass and Ajami (plant painting on wood). An exhibition will soon be held that includes products from the trainees’ industry, during which certificates certified by the Craft Association and the Ministry of Industry will be distributed, indicating that these courses will continue to be held, as a course will be held for five other professions, which will be announced in advance.
The craftsman Mamoun al-Hallaq, who works in the craft of wood turning by hand, said that he produces all wooden heritage pieces manually and markets his products through the internal exhibitions held by the craft association, indicating that there are difficulties that impede the development of work represented by the high prices of raw materials, especially beech wood, as the price per cubic meter of it reaches To 3 million pounds, in addition to the shortage of energy carriers and their high costs.
Amjad Al Sabbagh
SANA Economic Bulletin
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