# Syria's Traditional Glassblowing: A Cultural Heritage in Need of Preservation

## Introduction

Syria has a rich history of traditional craftsmanship that spans centuries, with glassblowing being one of its most significant artisanal traditions.

While the provided context documents do not contain specific information about Syrian glassblowing, they do highlight Syria's broader tradition of craftsmanship and cultural heritage preservation efforts.

This report aims to provide an overview of Syria's traditional glassblowing based on available information and the context of Syrian artisanal traditions.

## History of Glassblowing in Syria

Glassblowing has ancient roots in the region that now constitutes Syria.

Historical records indicate that Syria was part of the broader Levantine region where glassmaking techniques developed as early as the 1st century BCE.

The city of Damascus, in particular, became known for its glass production, with artisans developing distinctive techniques and styles that reflected Syrian aesthetic sensibilities.

Throughout the centuries, Syrian glassblowers developed unique methods and designs that incorporated local cultural elements.

The craft was traditionally passed down through generations, with master craftsmen teaching apprentices the intricate techniques required to create both functional and decorative glass items.

## Importance in Syrian Culture

Traditional glassblowing holds significant cultural importance in Syria, much like other traditional crafts mentioned in the context documents.

As Document dc204bb6-7d35-4247-9a0f-e2c1f93dfbd9_971448276 states regarding traditional crafts in general, "لكل قطعة وتحفة دلالةً حضاريةً متجذرةً في ثقافة سورية" (every piece and masterpiece has a civilizational indication deeply rooted in Syrian culture).

Syrian glassblowing has been integral to daily life, religious practices, and artistic expression.

Glass items produced by Syrian artisans have included:

- Household vessels and containers
- Decorative item

# Syria's Traditional Glassblowing: A Cultural Heritage in Need of Preservation

## Introduction

Syria has a rich history of traditional craftsmanship that spans centuries, with glassblowing being one of its most significant artisanal traditions.

Title:

Content: Or Elias...
Embraced the traditional crafts in its small museum Baharat Hanania Damascene
Damascus-Sana
You cannot pass through the Damascene neighborhood of Hanania in Bab Sharqi without being stopped by the time at the gallery of Mrs. Sophia Al-Ashqar “Um Elias ”. The smell of the place leads you voluntarily to stand at the heritage of nearly a hundred years old, looking at the cloth, moving your eyes to the copper and mosaic, and drowning in the place to come the laugh of Umm Elias and take you back to its small museum.
As her sons and residents of Haret Hananiya describe it as a “fortress ”, it is a fortress that stands as the steadfastness of Syrian women through time. Umm Elias does not only tell visitors to her heritage museum about the concept and value of the work, but she sees it embodied in her spirit and in every piece she weaved with her management of the gallery for nearly 70 years, including during the war on Syria. The development of the Syrian kaftan.
The love of the homeland and the authenticity of Umm Elias overshadowed her work many times, and she acted as a guide to the foreign tourist about the history of Syria and the age of each piece she acquired, reminding them that Damascus is the oldest inhabited city in history, and stressing that she did not tire and did not tire of that task, especially when visiting tourist delegations to Haret Hanania and their acquisition of the heritage craft in the gallery.
Mrs. Al-Ashqar talked about how she developed the Damascene kaftan from a traditional folk costume to a modern one that has been mixed for centuries until the present day. Umm Elias, 83, manipulated velvet, silk, agbani and brocade fabrics with her fingers as if she were manipulating her grandchildren, to come up with a piece of kaftan that mimics the fashion of our times and the new taste.
The icon of Haret Hanania moves around the gallery, continuing to talk, and with her warm voice narrates her beginning with the needle and thread since she was ten years old, and like any girl, the first dress she knitted was for her little doll, and developed her passion for cloth and sewing, considering that her father and grandfather have been professionals for a long time. Qar received the third prize in the mosaic industry at the Damascus Exhibition in 1936.
Umm Elias did not spare us time, and despite her fatigue, which seemed clear on the features of her face, love and determination had a stronger presence appeared in the explanation and give the most accurate information. She talked about the visit of senior guests to the gallery of artists, intellectuals and prominent personalities. However, she did not think to move to another area outside Bab Sharqi. Glass, as well as icons, begins to live from 45 years to almost 100 years.
Umm Elias goes back to an ancient time whose effects were evident on a copper table occupied by Damascene hands, through the technique of downloading silver on copper, and is more than eighty years old, in addition to the types of wood such as mosaic, which is famous for her father 's craftsman Haneen Ashqar. With her hands she opens a wooden piece of art created by her father, a mosaic table that includes several levels of toys. Sometimes chess, sometimes Elias's mother turns it into a dice game.
It then moves on to Damascene ornaments, icons and small brides made of cloth to stained glass, which gives the place the spirit of life and confirms that each piece and masterpiece has a cultural significance rooted in the culture of Syria.
So that Umm Elias remains one of the many Syrian women who went through the war, and their heads are nostalgic like the ears of wheat, but they did not break them, and they remain tender and shameless, raising their muses to them whenever their names are mentioned.
Najwa Aida Mariam Hajir
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Umm Elias Museum of Traditional Crafts in the Damascus neighborhood of Hanania

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Content: Last one.
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Syrian Oud on UNESCO ’ s List of Cultural Heritage
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed the Syrian oud on its list of intangible cultural heritage for its unique sound and intricately handcrafted curves.
Although the oud machine is present throughout the region, the Syrian oud is known for its pure tones and unique and harmonious sounds.
Tony Tawil, who is one of the makers of the oud, said: "Many composers whose melodies are made on the oud, they do not use a second instrument because the oud plays more than 200 maqām, which gives the mark, half the mark, a quarter of the mark, and half the mark other than the guitar, which gives you the sound and half the sound."
"When we hit the chord, the chord recoil enters the cavity and then comes back out of the holes, the chord must be accurately occupied and the wood is correct and dry until it gives more resonance and the mark comes out pure and there is purity in the chord sound," he said.
But the oud industry was hit hard by the war and economic crisis in the years that followed, with demand for musical instruments declining.
With the oud inscribed on UNESCO ’ s list of intangible cultural heritage, the Syrian Secretariat for Development will cooperate with the International Organization for the Support of Artisans in promoting and selling their products in order to preserve the industry.
Rasha Barhoum, executive assistant of the Living Heritage Program of the Syrian Secretariat for Development, said:
This year the conservation plan will be launched and in the coming years there will certainly be bigger projects. ”
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While the provided context documents do not contain specific information about Syrian glassblowing, they do highlight Syria's broader tradition of craftsmanship and cultural heritage preservation efforts.

Title:

Content: The news tape.
To learn about the heritage professions in Syria...
Ladies of the Diplomatic Club visit a ruined incubator
Damascus-Sana
The ladies of the diplomatic club in Syria today visited the professions market in the heritage incubator of Dummar and were briefed on the diversity of traditional industries in it.
The honorary president of the club Shukria Mikdad explained that the incubator is a distinctive heritage, cultural and human edifice that is not limited to show, but training to preserve traditional professions from extinction and extinction, expressing her pride in this place, which brings together various Syrian crafts and professions.
In turn, the president of the club, Aya bin Shaaban, said that the visit to the incubator came in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism to identify the rare heritage professions that exist in Syria.
For her part, the Director of Tourism Professions at the Ministry of Tourism, Samar Al-Issa, pointed out the importance of this visit in introducing Arab and friendly countries to the incubator and its legacy and its positive impact on tourist attraction, pointing out that the heritage incubator includes all types of crafts and represents successive stages of Syrian history.
Reem Heshmeh
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To support and empower women.
Charity Breakfast for Ladies of the Diplomatic Club
Damascus, SANA- In conjunction with the International Women 's Day, the ladies of the Syrian Diplomatic Club organized a charity breakfast with the participation of

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Content: The news tape.
The aroma of roses reeks in the Arab Cultural Center in Abu Rummaneh
Damascus-Sana
The Directorate of Culture of Damascus, in cooperation with Dummar Central Incubator for Craft Arts, organized today a seminar entitled “Extraction of essential and plant oils and perfume design ” at the Arab Cultural Center in Abu Rummaneh.
The seminar was presented by the trainer Mohammed Mazen Zakour and included an exhibition of various traditional handicraft products within the plan of the Ministry of Culture to support and encourage craftsmen.
The head of the General Union of Craftsmen, Naji al-Hadwa, said in a statement that traditional crafts are a treasure we possess and reflect the quality of the Syrian worker's professionalism through what he produces and the duty of the General Union of Craftsmen to preserve and develop it, including the establishment of such kind of exhibitions and seminars, which may be framed within the productive institutions owned by the General Union or in partnership with other ministries such as the Ministry of Culture.
Al-Hadwa stressed that the General Union is following up within its plan to qualify and train cadres on an ongoing basis to maintain these crafts as well as create promotional and marketing opportunities for them through the establishment of such events.
Amani Frog
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Sight of the Spirit Spreads their Creativity in Jadak Al Ghaith on a Cultural Theater in Kafarsousa - Video
Damascus-SANA With their vision, they mastered the arts of playing, singing, reciting poetry, acting and with their delicate emotions.

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UNESCO inscribes Palestinian embroidery on cultural heritage list
© AFP 2021 / Jaafar AshtiyehPalestinian girls in Palestinian dress and keffiyeh masks, in celebration of Palestinian dress day in the village of Jiftlik, Jordan Valley, July 26, 2020
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday included Palestinian embroidery on its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Malki welcomed the inclusion of embroidery as one of the Palestinian national elements on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
He added in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the move "confirms the roots of the Palestinian people in their land, Palestine, and the continuation of life on it without interruption for tens of thousands of years."
"The embroidery is a symbol of the Palestinian national identity and its connection with the land, history and nature, just as it is reflected in the inscriptions of the Palestinian embroidery, which carry the fragrance of history and civilization, which is what Israel is trying to steal," he said.
Embroidery is a prominent element of Palestinian cultural life, and each area in the Palestinian territory has its own embroidery style, whether in terms of the color of the fabric, embroidery threads or the nature of embroidered inscriptions and drawings.
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Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
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The industry in Syria.
An art that resists extinction.
The "Cairo News" channel presented a television report entitled "The manufacture of clogs in Syria..
An art that resists extinction. ” In the past, the Kabbaq market was crowded before the holidays, to buy what was considered essential with the new Eid clothes, until the Shami proverb said, “The one who doesn ’ t get around the Eid money. ”
The report said that the market no longer has a share of its name, with the approach of Eid, we found only a few shops specialized in Qabqab, pointing out that uncle Abu Abdo, who has been a professional manufacture of Qabqab for more than 60 years, is keen to bequeath it to his children and grandchildren for fear of extinction.
Despite his age and illness, which exhausts him, he supervises himself daily on the details of the production and how to produce it in the form that people are familiar with and loved, as is firmly established in the character of Ghawar al-Tousha.
Abu Abdo said: "All of our relatives enter the Eid with clogs, and we are working to feed the Gulf countries with them, and we try to make clogs in fashion so that it suits all customers."
According to the report, which was presented by the Cairo News Channel, customers buy it as a souvenir after it has been turned into a heritage, and the customer does not distinguish between its various types such as Zahaf, Araissi and Shabrawi, and does not distinguish between the type of Khasbah, whether it is Hura, Safsafa or pine.

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Content: Danger of extinction threatens the profession of hand loom in Hama
Hand loom is an ancient Syrian craft that dates back more than five centuries. It simulates history and challenges the finest textile machines in the old neighborhoods of Damascus, Hama, Aleppo and Idlib. It forms the history of the textile industry in Syria and is famous for its elegance, which shows the quality of clothes and its unique exterior appearance.
The craft went through many stopovers for several reasons, despite its heritage and despite its long history, foremost of which is the absence of its market, and the lack of trained and skilled manpower.
In the province of Hama alone there were more than 3500 looms and many types remain today only 3, the owners challenge modernity and development to continue their profession and the manufacture of handmade textiles, one of the ancient heritage industries.
“The sound of loom no longer fills places, ” said Mohsen al-Dabik, a 65-year-old craftsman from the city of Hama, to“ Arm News ” during his talk about his profession, which began to disappear according to his opinion.
Fifty years spent by this man 60 behind his nose weaving “Barnas and multi-purpose towels, including Al-Araisiyah ”, is a craft inherited from his father, who worked in it since 1940, and says“ This craft has gone through many stops for many reasons despite its long history, foremost of which is the absence of its market, and the lack of skilled trained manpower, especially since the ancients and youth of new generations Stay away from the practice of this traditional craft, because of the lack of revenue on the one hand, and the lack of places to discharge these products on the other, which caused the cessation of dozens of looms used in the textile industry. ”
For his part, the craftsman Abdul Karim Akash talked about the weaving profession and the manufacture of handmade carpets, a heritage profession that dates back more than two thousand years, arrived to us from Iran, Iraq and Syria from the agricultural countries where the most important crops in our industry, the most important of which is cotton and animal wool. This field since 1968, and since childhood, I started to graduate in this profession to the extent that I reached the industry of the largest rug in the world. I have received many honors and I am working and will teach generations this profession in a final attempt to preserve what remains of the heritage of parents and grandparents.
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This report aims to provide an overview of Syria's traditional glassblowing based on available information and the context of Syrian artisanal traditions.

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Content: The craft and skills of "Palestinian embroidery art" on the UNESCO World Heritage List
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The coronavirus pandemic has hurt traditional garment producers in the city of Bethlehem, but amid the loss and gloom, Palestinian embroidery has won international recognition from UNESCO for being added to the World Heritage List.
CNN's Andrew Carey reports more on the subject.

## History of Glassblowing in Syria

Glassblowing has ancient roots in the region that now constitutes Syria.

Historical records indicate that Syria was part of the broader Levantine region where glassmaking techniques developed as early as the 1st century BCE.

The city of Damascus, in particular, became known for its glass production, with artisans developing distinctive techniques and styles that reflected Syrian aesthetic sensibilities.

Throughout the centuries, Syrian glassblowers developed unique methods and designs that incorporated local cultural elements.

The craft was traditionally passed down through generations, with master craftsmen teaching apprentices the intricate techniques required to create both functional and decorative glass items.

## Importance in Syrian Culture

Traditional glassblowing holds significant cultural importance in Syria, much like other traditional crafts mentioned in the context documents.

As Document dc204bb6-7d35-4247-9a0f-e2c1f93dfbd9_971448276 states regarding traditional crafts in general, "لكل قطعة وتحفة دلالةً حضاريةً متجذرةً في ثقافة سورية" (every piece and masterpiece has a civilizational indication deeply rooted in Syrian culture).

Syrian glassblowing has been integral to daily life, religious practices, and artistic expression.

Glass items produced by Syrian artisans have included:

- Household vessels and containers
- Decorative item