Aleppo, Feb. 8 (SANA) The craft of hand weaving on the loom is considered one of the oldest manual practices in Syria and forms an essential part of the country’s cultural and civilizational fabric. This profession has been closely linked to Syrians’ daily lives for centuries, as it provided clothing, blankets, carpets, and household furnishings. It flourished in many cities, most notably Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, becoming a living embodiment of artistic and social identity.
The spirit of the craft: Between mastery and artistic expression
The weaving process is based on the interlacing of warp threads with weft threads using a traditional tool called the “loom,” a manual structure made of wood and iron that requires exceptional skill in coordinating colors and patterns. The materials used vary between velvet and chenille for luxury products, cotton and wool for everyday items, and sometimes recycled threads from fine fabrics. The beauty of this craft lies in transforming a simple thread into a work of art that bears the artisan’s signature and the memories of his community.
Saleh Abtini and his love of thread
Saleh Abtini began his journey with the loom in his childhood, when he used to watch his uncle in amazement as he moved the threads fluidly, until he felt that his hands had become an extension of the weaving itself, to the point where he sincerely says: “The thread and I became one.”
Saleh sees every piece he weaves as a work of art, not merely a commodity; he does not “work,” but rather “paints a canvas” with wool and cotton threads.
Despite the craft being passed down in his family since his grandfather’s generation, he now faces young people’s reluctance to pursue it, as many consider it an “old profession” that does not keep pace with the speed of modern life.
A bitter reality: From prosperity to the brink of extinction
Before the war, Aleppo housed dozens of active looms in crowded workshops, and large purchase orders poured in from Gulf countries, while raw materials were readily available.
Today, however, the number of artisans practicing hand weaving in the city has shrunk to only two or three individuals, while industrial production has come to dominate the market.
This has led to a decline in people’s awareness of the value of handmade products, and sometimes even to their inability to distinguish them from machine-made ones. Once-bustling workshops have turned into dust-covered spaces, a symbolic image of the fading of this heritage.
Challenges along the way
Saleh and his fellow artisans face accumulating obstacles: the scarcity of essential spare parts such as the heddle, the beater, and the reed, whose manufacture stopped years ago; the high cost of high-quality wool, which raises production costs beyond what the market can bear; and the absence of institutional support, which forces them to work from their homes, away from public view, amid the high rent of shops and the lack of exhibition spaces in heritage sites such as Khan al-Shouna.
Hope being woven anew
Despite the hardships, Saleh holds on to a faint hope of reviving the craft, provided that the concerned authorities especially Aleppo Governorate, the “city of heritage” take tangible action: allocating shops in historic khans to display the products, organizing awareness campaigns to restore people’s appreciation of handmade work, and establishing training centers that link this craft to heritage tourism. He does not seek profit, but rather the preservation of the ancestors’ memory and its presentation as a gift to future generations.
Weaving Is crafted… and memory Is preserved
The craft of weaving on the loom is not merely a profession, but a living pulse of Syrian history, carrying within it the stories of ancestors and the wisdom of artisans. Preserving it is a national duty no less important than safeguarding archaeological sites, for in every thread that is woven, the memory of an ancient people is crafted.
Without urgent official and community support, this craft is threatened with extinction, and with it, a vibrant page of humanity’s heritage may be lost.
Iman Alzuheiri/RK
