WEST BANK-CLOGS MAKER West Bank clogs maker sees fall in demand for his handmade footwear

Record ID: 144990

  • Title: WEST BANK-CLOGS MAKER West Bank clogs maker sees fall in demand for his handmade footwear
  • Date: 5th August 2015
  • Summary: NABLUS, WEST BANK (AUGUST 4, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CLOGS FACTORY OWNER, WALEED KHUDAIR, CUTTING WOOD KHUDAIR DRAWING CLOGS SHAPES ON WOOD KHUDAIR CUTTING CLOGS-SHAPED WOOD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CLOGS FACTORY OWNER, WALEED KHUDAIR, SAYING: "I've been involved in this business since I was born, I started working when I was 12 years old and continued ever since. Our ances
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABJ5PZE0H4RFA1X06M7C92Z0FL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In a small factory in Nablus, 66-year-old Waleed Khudair spends his day cutting and shaping pieces of wood so as to make wooden clogs.
    It's a long process and each pair takes around 30 minutes to make, its a skill that he inherited from his father and his business has been running for decades.
    "I've been involved in this business since I was born, I started working when I was 12 years old and continued ever since. Our ancestors used to work on this craft in Lod and when they left Lod they brought their business to here (Nablus) and we took it from them, we learned the craft and we continued the work after them,'' he said in between cutting wood.
    "(We used to make it) for (Turkish) bath houses and mosques but now they don't have any idea that we still make them (clogs) until now. But whoever sees it on the internet and Face (Facebook) comes to the workshop and asks to buy some,'' the craftsmen added.
    But as the only clogs maker left in Nablus, Khudair fears that he'll soon have to close his shop, due to a fall in demand for his handmade goods, which he sells for just under 11 U.S dollars.
    "(People) started to import them (clogs) from China so we stopped making them,'' he said.
    According to the clogs maker people are choosing to buy cheaper alternatives to his wooden shoes.
    Wooden clogs are traditionally worn in Turkish baths or hammam, and that's the case at Hammam al-Hana.
    "Clogs in the bath house have their own prestige. When men wear it while walking (at the bath house) you can hear its sound, this sound, I love this sound,'' said Ahmed Muree, who was at the hammam.
    Wooden clogs are usually worn on the wet surfaces to prevent people from slipping on the marble floors. The clogs are also known as 'hammam clogs' or 'bathing clogs'.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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