A Syrian craftsman revives traditional Damascene decoration arts

Damascene houses are characterized by a unique and traditional architectural style that includes all the corners of the Damascene house with its  decoration including  ceilings, furniture, walls and doors decorated in an innovative artistic way by skilled  craftsmen.

These decorations reflect life systems, customs and traditions for successive periods of time  and the plant  decoration is the crown of arts according to craftsmen.

The craftsman “Nasr Eddin  Al-Muhammad is talented in the field of  Damascene decoration. He participated in the restoration of many ancient Damascene houses and monuments, using different styles and types of plant decoration  such as Andalusian, Persian, and Damascene.

“The botanical decoration is an  ancient craft in which designs and  drawings vary according to region. Each region has its own plants that give it its own identity and imprint, in addition to the diversity of decorations and their differences according to the successive historical stages of  Damascus” the craftsman Al-Muhammad told E-Syria ( blog).

He pointed out that each Damascene house has its own distinct inscriptions that date back to the historical period in which it was built, in addition to the intertwining of plant , geometric and calligraphic motifs with a thoughtful distribution  to create harmony and an intimate mixture in which these elements intertwine with each other.

“In addition to my studies of ceramic , I learned the art of Damascene and Ajami decoration  and took part  in the restoration works carried out by the Museums and Antiquities Department including  many Damascene monuments and houses such as the House of “Khaled Al-Azm”,  “Hejaz” station ,  the French embassy  in addition to some monuments outside Syria.  I also participated in several exhibitions in  Syria and abroad, ” the craftsman said.

Al-Muhammad stressed that this craft requires a lot of time and effort as it  reflects the craftsman’s   sense of the value of beauty and sincerity to the work in which talent meets high taste, perseverance and long patience.

He indicated that “ I  trained a large number of young people through my art workshop with the aim of developing their artistic taste  and introducing  the rich heritage of our country Syria which is famous for its deep-rooted traditional crafts” .

“Art is the mirror of society and the compass of its civilizational progress. The development of art reflects positively on all aspects of social, intellectual and civilized domains “ the craftsman concluded.

In turn,plastic artist Najwa Al-Shareef said that “ Al-Muhammad  is one of the most creative and prominent in the field one of the ancient Damascene decorations and colors”

She referred to his keenness on conveying this traditional art to future generations to revive and  preserve Syria’s historical and cultural identity.

Rawaa  Ghanam