Traditional stained glass handicraft revived in Damascus 

The traditional stained glass handicraft is considered as one of the oldest crafts in Damascus. It dates back to more than 3,000 years old, and it still maintains its spread.

This craft witnesses a huge turn out to by people who want to learn it after it was previously limited to mosques and churches. However, currently it has expanded and is now used in tourist facilities and homes, where this craft is used in building decorations because of its aesthetic side that attracts attention.

With the aim of preserving the craft of stained glass, transmitting it to generations, and preventing its extinction, craftsman Fayez Talmasani still practices his craft, which he learned more than 55 years ago, and he develops it to keep pace with the requirements of development.

Talmasani told SANA that  he learned this profession at the Applied Arts Center in Damascus, and while he joined the center to learn at the institute’s “Bronze Department”, and that he  was attracted by the bright shapes and colors of stained glass, so he decided to learn and master it so that it would be his source of livelihood in the future.

The craftsman added that he taught his family this craft, which depends on a person’s talent and desire to master it. He also taught many of those who wanted to work with him and pass it on to others.

He pointed out that he participated in exhibitions with works and products made of stained glass with the aim of marketing them, introducing them to  visitors and exchanging ideas with participants.

Regarding the materials he uses in his craft, Talmasani explained that “we engrave on wood or gypsum, then add stained glass . We rely mainly on gypsum and colored glass, but today we use an alternative material to glass, which is Plexiglas, because it is available at acceptable prices and its colors do not change with exposure to the sun”.

The young woman Fidaa Hammoud, a graduate of English literature and trained in the stained glass profession, pointed out that curiosity prompted her to learn this craft within three months, and she began practicing it, indicating that she produced  many shapes such as windows, paintings, and walls separating rooms.

In turn,  the craftsman Ahmed Al-Ashqar from  Damascus countryside said that he  has been practicing the stained glass craft for more than thirty years, and relies on marketing his products through tourists.

Rawaa Ghanam