Glass Craftsmanship is an Authentic heritage and ancient Syrian craft

This industry emerged around 700 BC on Levantine coasts, where the Canaanite of the Syrian coasts developed a way to inflate glass. Later, in 600 BC, Mesopotamian craftsmen hollowed the glassware by pouring the molten glass paste around the moldings, whereas the technique of inflating the hollow utensils -which is still used today- was invented by the Syrians of the first century AD in the cities of the Syrian coast such as Tartus, Amrit, Ras Shamra and Arwad. This craft spread from Syria across the Mediterranean to Europe and Africa, and was witnessed on a wide scale in the Islamic era of development and prosperity, especially in the Levant and the Arab West, where Islamic patterns emerged on the surfaces of pots, colored bottles , gold plated bottles, inscriptions, and engineering lines and intersections.

The main material in this industry is sand or silica. Throughout the ages, this craft has preserved its traditional ways, which were created by the Syrians of the first century AD. However, the glass products were constantly evolving and varied with the variety of materials and colors added to their composition. And one of the most famous coastal glass products is Murano glass,in reference to the Italian island of Murano, also known as Venetian glass, which was evolved by Syrian craftsmen who transferred the inflated Syrian glass industry from the Syrian coasts to Murano across the Mediterranean in 1200 AD, However Murano’s craftsmen added silver and gold.

For years, the Venetian early products imitated and were hardly indistinguishable from their contemporary Syrian counterparts. By the 15th century, Venetian glass-craftsmen had mastered the Syrian process of enamelling and subsequently became the pathfinders in Europe of the Syrian prototypes in beauty, form and ornamentation.

The glass melter is one of the most important tools that have ever been used in this industry. It consists of three main compartments: The first one is for the olive seeds, which are used to ignite the fire providing the metler with the necessary heat to melt the glass to its frit. The molten glass comes out after a temperature exposure of 1000-1200 degrees, although the first compartment has been dispensed since fuel fulfilled its previous purpose, this craft is still considered environmentally friendly because it depends on broken glass waste as raw material.

For glassmaking is very difficult and expensive, nevertheless, the artisans still use the traditional techniques. The Arabs in Syria, heirs to an old tradition, protected glass-making. They became renowned for their manipulative skills, famous for the production of mosque lamps and developed a characteristic style of glass-decorations. Bottles, vases and other objects were painted with figure subjects in coloured enamels, at times heightened with gold. Among the most appreciated creations there are: collection of ancient glassware coming from archaeological excavations and a great variety of flasks, lamps, vases and other objects in bright blue, gold, green and red.

At the Tekiya Sulaymanieh handicraft market, near Bab Sharqi, and in other parts of old Damascus, you can found the artisans who have inherited this skilful trade from their forefathers.

Syria is proud of the traditional crafts its artisans are great in making. Old and not so old crafts are being modernized and revived in the modern age in an effort to keep it alive among our young population. These age old traditions simply exemplify Syria’s Culture.

Lara Khouli