Tailors preserve prized Najaf Abayas despite lower demand

Record ID: 1631725

  • Title: Tailors preserve prized Najaf Abayas despite lower demand
  • Date: 11th August 2021
  • Summary: NAJAF, IRAQ (AUGUST 6, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS USING LOOM MACHINE TO WEAVE FAMOUS MEN'S ABAYA OWNER OF WEAVING WORKSHOP, YOUSEF AL HAJJAR, WORKING ON MACHINE HAJJAR ROLLING THREAD ON MACHINE HANDLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OWNER OF WEAVING WORKSHOP, YOUSEF AL HAJJAR, SAYING: "We are very few in this industry since this Abaya started to be manufactured by modern mach
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2021 12:01
  • Keywords: Abaya Culture Heritage Iraq Najaf
  • Location: NAJAF, IRAQ
  • City: NAJAF, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EPU6ONP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In a run down workshop, tailor Yousef al Hajjar and two craftsmen work day and night to weave fabrics for the prized men's Abaya, a commodity that for decades was the pride of the holy city of Najaf.
    Famous for the handmade woven Abaya, Najaf was the destination for customers from the Gulf, including the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, founding father of the United Arab Emirates.
    "He used to go to the Abaya makers and buy from them, and he used to send them as gifts. Also in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the entire Gulf used to buy the Najafi Abaya," al Hajjar said.
    One Abaya takes nearly 10 days to finish, and costs between $400 to $1,400.
    But with cheaper imports from Syria and elsewhere, demand is dwindling.
    Hajjar and few other tailors however continue to sell it to preserve a treasured part of the city's culture and to also serve avid customers like Abou Ali who only wears the Najafi Abaya.
    "I wear nothing but the Najafi Abaya. If I go to Basra, I would come to buy the Abaya from Najaf. If I have work in Baghdad and I need an Abaya, I come here to buy one,” Ali said.
    (Production: Alaa al-Morgani, Maher Nazeh, Muath Freij, Mai Shams El-Din)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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