The handloom an ancient Handicraft in face of modern technology.

Latakia – North-Press Agency

The "handloom" is an ancient Handicraft in Damascene that goes back for more than five centuries, as it's considered better than most luxurious textile machines in old Damascus. It tells the history of textile industry in Syria and is famous for its elegance which shows the quality of clothes in a special external look.

Munir Mohiddin, has been working on the handloom profession for decades and he is one of three people who are still practicing the textile industry in the country.

During his interview with North-Press, Mohiddin said: "The age of this industry is as old as history, since "Zenobia" wore clothing two thousand years ago, as well as the pharaohs who wrapped the mummy with cloth, which means that there was a handloom that was making these fabrics four thousand year ago".

He pointed out that the disappearance of this handicraft is related to the emerge of mechanical machines, as a result of the increase in market demand for clothing, and this is what the handloom cannot do, because it works slowly unlike modern machines.

"However, the benefits of handloom should not be ignored, as it provides a product that has a spirit full of life, because it's made by a human," he added

Moreover,  Mohiddin said that the continuance of this handicraft throughout these years in Damascus is due to the availability of raw materials inside of Syria. He says: "It doesn't need materials from outside and is not affected by the blockade or anything else. It's a national product with the privilege associated with the Syrian environment and all of its requirements are homemade, such as cotton grown in al-Jazira region and wool taken from goats and silk by raising silkworms. "

It's worth mentioning that this handicraft is a Syrian heritage and part of the culture in the eastern region, and Damascus craftsmen are famous for their creativity in this industry, which has faced modern factories over the past years, in addition to a systematic invasion of Turkish commodities and clothing.