- Title: SYRIA: Damascene silk industry attracts tourists despite high prices
- Date: 21st July 2008
- Summary: (MER-1) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ANTOINE MUZANNAR'S SILK BROCADE SHOP SHOP ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF SILK BROCADE FABRICS IN SHOP WINDOW SILK BROCADE SHOP OWNER ANTOINE MUZANNAR FOLDING SAMPLES SILK BROCADE FABRICS MUZANNAR TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ANTOINE MUZANNAR, SILK BROCADE SHOP OWNER, SAYING: "It is an old Damascene industry, a histor
- Embargoed: 5th August 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Industry,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA5H38ZG1Z5B5N8C25JGI2HVW9B
- Story Text: Damascene brocade silk, the most renowned in the Levant, has long ceased to be a major Syrian export but maintains its appeal to visitors of the ancient city.
Damascenes have been weaving silk since the 6th century, when Nestorian monks are said to have brought silk to the Middle East from China.
An international industry soon flourished along what came to be known as the "Silk Road", an 8000 kilometre (5000 mile) trade route extending across the Asian continent and into Europe.
Damascene silk weavers became renowned across the Levant for their superior silk brocade -- a thick gold or silver-threaded hand-woven silk, patterned with traditional Arabic designs.
Referred to as "Brocard" in Syria, the rich colours of its natural dyes and its intricate Oriental designs make it a much sought item by visitors to the ancient capital.
"It is an old Damascene industry, a historical one. My great-grandfather used to work on the Arabic loom," said Antoine Muzannar, the owner of one of the two remaining traditional silk brocade factories in Damascus.
Muzannar's great-grandfather, also called Antoine, is credited with diffusing the "butterfly" motif, composed of seven colours, that is quite popular with tourists. He also introduced mechanical looms into the Syrian silk market in the 1930s.
"Tourists usually ask for old Damascene designs -- mosaics, sea shells and brocade," said Muzannar. "They often also come to the factory to observe the production of the fabrics, in addition to purchasing them."
Silk brocade wefting is a demanding and time-consuming process; even a skilled silk weaver produces an average one metre per day, making the availability of the luxurious fabric extremely limited and pushing its price up to about 78 U.S. dollars per metre.
Seventy-year-old Osman Ramadan has been working on the same manual loom at the Muzannar factory for sixty years. He worries his craft may soon die out for lack of interest in it. His sons declined his offer of apprenticeship.
"It would be very sad if no one learned how to use this loom after me. I have been weaving on this loom for sixty years, sixty years. I was ten when I first started, now I am seventy," said Ramadan.
After prospering for centuries, Syrian silk production went into decline in the 18th century with the imposition of new taxes by Ottoman rulers, and dwindled further during the French mandate under the pressure of a worldwide economic crisis in the 1930s. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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