Syria has been in a prominent position for centuries in the textile crafts.
It was an important threshold on the Silk Road, producing the best materials (silk, cotton, wool and goat hair).
With a combination of expertise and aesthetic sense, Syria was able to develop on a large scale the textile requirements.
History of Syrian Textiles
The spinning, weaving and weaving industry in Syria has origins a story and a long history dating back thousands of years.
The textile industry was known in ancient Syrian civilizations.
In the Kingdom of Mari, Ebla, Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra, Hama, Homs and others.
And it was passed down through generations to become the Syrian industry especially the spinning and weaving industry.
one of the best and most famous industries in the world.
The textile industry depends mostly on preparing the yarns and threads.
As the weaving process is not everything but rather many works are required before weaving.
After the master prepares the silk and threads, he gives them to the craftsmen who make them.
The weaver the spinner the weaver the dyer, the weaver and the weaver.
And here comes the role of the weaver.
Then the weaver receives it and then transfers the fabric to the press.
And the craft of weaving is specialized for women each of them receives the silk pieces, unravels them and divides them into types.
Some of which are known as With the rafai, the zaghba the badhha and the mashaqa, each separately.
Then she works on each type wrapping a strand around a keffiyeh and rotating it.
During that she takes care of the strand from breaking, tying it if it breaks and freeing it if it gets tangled with something else.
And so on until she makes each type a separate shamouta.
Types of Syrian textiles
1- Brocade:
The term brocade goes back to the Italian term brocatello.
And it means the artistic silk fabric embroidered with gold or silver threads.
Then the term was changed to brocade in French, meaning silk fabric and from there it was transferred to Arabic.
- The term brocade is modern as it is no more than 200 years old.
While the history of brocade in Syria dates back to more than 3000 years.
And its name was brocade which are fabrics worn by princes and sultans.
The Damascene craftsman has been creative with brocade in particular for about 200 years and up until today.
- Queen Elizabeth II of Britain wore a dress made of Damascene brocade on her wedding day.
And the British ambassador in Damascus had requested to purchase it.
- A fabric was specially woven for the queen from natural silk embroidered with gold and silver threads.
And decorated with special plant designs and the lover and beloved birds.
The brocade of the royal wedding dress was woven on an old hand loom and it took 3 months to make 200 meters of it.
2- Damask:
It is a type of silk fabric similar to brocade, made on hand looms.
And is called Baloshi, meaning fabric embroidered with designs.
And there are many types of it such as atlas, thabouri and hormuz.
Damask fabrics differ from brocade in their rigid geometric or plant designs.
Which do not express characters or history as in brocade.
And their designs are also characterised by their large size, i.e. a large repetition area.
Unlike brocade which can have small designs with few repetitions.
3- Al-Aghbani:
It is a fabric whose threads are made of silk and embroidered with gold and silver.
It originated in the city of Damascus more than 500 years ago.
Turbans, luxurious sheets and table covers are made from its fabric.
There are printed designs on its fabric and each design has its own name.
Such as Joklan the strange flower and the seven-leafed rose.
The most important stage in its manufacture is the embroidery processes carried out by women.
4- Al-Dima:
These are cotton dresses similar to Alaja except that they are made of cotton.
The first person to invent Al-Dima fabric was a Damascene man named Abdul Majeed Al-Asfar, then Hassan Al-Khanji joined him.
There are those who consider Al-Dima fabric to be an imitation of Alaja which is made of silk and cotton threads.
This industry is still woven on hand looms in the old neighborhoods of Damascus.
5- Alaja:
These are cotton silk textiles woven on hand looms.
In different shapes and many types and among its Indian-Egyptian names are the octagonal the serrated the cotton Atafiya and the Kamkha.
Its pattern is in the form of long colored lines and is used to make tablecloths upholstery and Arab cloaks.
Advantages of the Syrian Textile Industry
Cotton Quality:
Syrian cotton is world-renowned for its quality, especially long-staple cotton.
Skilled Workforce:
Syrian craftsmen have long-standing experience in weaving fabrics.
Product Diversity:
From cotton to silk and wool Syria offers a wide range of textiles.
Competitive Prices:
Compared to other global markets Syrian textile prices remain reasonable.
Ancient handicraft textile industry
How to import Syrian textiles
To help you import textiles from Syria, contact us.
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