“Al-Assalah” Heritage Festival held in Tartous

With the participation of 50 craftsmen from Tartous governorate, “Al-Assalah” (authenticity) heritage Festival was recently held at the handicraft market in Tartous. The cultural event was organized by “Kawn” Foundation for Social, Development and Housing Services in cooperation with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority and the Federation of Craftsmen.

The four-day festival included an exhibition of traditional handicrafts such as straw dishes, chairs, household tools, accessories and clothing made of silk, wool, and others, in addition to traditional folk foods.

 Head of “Kawn” Foundation Sawsan Mehrez confirmed in a statement to SANA that the festival’s goal is to shed light on the products and heritage of our ancestors and their foods, indicating that the foundation’s proceeds provided humanitarian cases, and the participants received a financial grant.

According to Director of Tartous craft market, Nazmiyya Isma’el, the festival contributed to introducing the heritage of our fathers and grandfathers to the new generation in addition to highlighting the most important handicrafts that were flourishing in their time and constitute a cultural and heritage wealth for us.

In turn, Munzer Ramadan, a member of the Executive Office of the Federation of Craftsmen, explained that the festival provided the opportunity for the participation of many craftsmen provided that they master a profession or a traditional craft, where the visitor saw how the craftsman works directly.

The craftswoman Roger Ibrahim said that she used silk cocoons that the ancestors used to make clothes, but she developed them and used them in designing artistic paintings, adding to them a distinct aesthetic value.

 While the craftswoman Nujoud Houria explained that she used seashells to form accessories, tissue boxes and mirrors, affirming the festival was an opportunity to learn about the traditional crafts and professions in the province.

Rawaa Ghanam