The Handicraft Market, Damascus

One of my favorite places to browse for gifts in Damascus is the Handicraft Market. The market is situated near the National Museum, on a quiet, vine-covered side street which overflows into the courtyard of a mosque. One of the market’s attractions is the fact that you can watch traditional artisans at work, from metalworkers to jewelers to glass workers.

My favorite spot in the market is a textile shop which contains the loom on which the fabric for Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress was made (1947). The shop still sells this material, which is a silver and white, pure silk, traditional Damascene brocade and costs around $25/meter. This same shop was selected by the Smithsonian Institute to participate in their annual Folklife festival, which features artisans from around the world. The owner disassembled his 6,000 thread loom to bring it across the ocean to Washington, DC for the festival. I was told all this by a flirty young apprentice named Kinan (meaning arrow), who even allowed me to try my hand at the loom as long as I brought some of my single female friends on my next visit!

I also enjoyed visiting the glass workshop, where I amused the workers by my attempts to blow glass. What fun! I’d love to take it up as a hobby one day.

An interesting thing to note is that many of the textiles in Syria are from outside the country – from India, Iran, or even Mongolia. I enjoy asking shopkeepers questions about their wares – it’s an education, as well as a great way to practice Arabic.