Damascus (ST): Artist Badie' Jahjah has captured the events of the fires that affected different regions of Syria several months ago to reproduce these painful scenes with different artistic visions that carry many philosophical and spiritual ideas and call for contemplation and hope through his exhibition entitled "Fire and Burning".

The exhibition, hosted by the Alef  Noon Gallery for Arts and Spirituality included 17 paintings in the oil technique of various sizes and styles, which varied between expressive and expressive realism that approached pure abstraction with emotional states that call for meditation at times and pain at other times.

Regarding the exhibition, Jahjah said, "I embodied in some paintings the post-fire stage, the fire extinguished and turned into ashes, and at the same time green shoots were stored representing the phoenix that emerged from the ashes in an expressive manner."

Jahjah explained that art is able to record and document the tragedy and to be a witness over time to what is happening as an ethical duty of the artist towards his people, his community and his country, indicating that the Alef Noon Gallery seeks to present art bearing an ethical dimension to raise the responsibility towards society.

For his part, artist and critic Ammar Hassan said, "The  displayed paintings reflected the feelings that we experienced during the occurrence of the fires and began to light an art of pain despite the presence of the crows that lit that fire. He added that this event  presents Jahjah's renewed plastic technique and added to his artistic experience."

Hassan pointed out that the artist dropped his brush on that fire and concluded his exhibition with a trio representing the retreat and extinction of fire with the emergence of the colors of blue, turquoise and cyan to foretell a new birth and tell us that despite the fire and ashes, life will continue, indicating that the contents of the paintings varied between heartburn and birth.

K.Q.

Art, particularly sculpture, is a humanitarian message that should be disseminated to create hope and happiness inside the souls of human beings and it is a means to revive heritage, as sculpture has a long-standing presence in the Syrian civilization as evidenced by the unique monuments made by the old Syrians, according Syrian sculptor Munzer Mustafa. 

In a statement to SANA cultural bulletin, Mustafa said that he learned sculpture by instinct since childhood.He used to choose a stone and start sculpting various forms inspired by his imagination, using a knife as a simple tool to present wonderful pieces of art. 

With the aim of encouraging and reviving arts, discovering talents and providing means for the advancement of its professionals, the “Musical Incubator” project was launched at the Ministry of Culture. This project is considered a strategic project directed to musicians to form bands and support the  inactive bands with the aim of transforming them into permanent musical bands that bolster the Syrian artistic movement.

A special organizing committee was formed for the project that included a selected group of experienced and specialized musicians to implement the objectives of this incubator, which are manifested in securing the technical environment and appropriate logistical support to form teams based on a specific project.

Medhat Pasha Market is located in the heart of Old Damascus. It is parallel to the famous Hamidiyeh Market and almost competes with it in its fame. It has historical and religious importance as it includes a number of religious sites, the most important of which is the Church of Paul the Prophet.

Medhat Pasha Market embraces a group of the oldest and most ancient shops in Damascus, where clothing, fabrics and curtains stores are lined up on both sides. Other markets such as the silk market, Al-bzouriyya, tailors market , and wool market  branch out from its alleys.

It is overcrowded, as it provides, with the other surrounding markets, all the supplies that a  visitor might need.

Abu Saleh said that market's commodities include distinctive textile products, such as silk fabrics, men's gowns, kufiyahs, bed sheets, brocade, towels, and curtains, in addition to coffee shops, nuts, grains, Arab ghee, oils, spices and herb shops, as well as shops for making and selling copper and mosaic handcrafts, and the famous Eastern Damascene artifacts.

The market, which is known for its commodities, is also famous for its merchants who are proficient in displaying and selling their products.

Ibrahim Al-Jarrah (a clothes salesman ) explained that every profession has its own nature and that the merchant must be smooth and flexible with customers and talk about his product in a brief and pleasant way.

He indicated that the presence of a large number of merchants within the market creates intense competition, especially during the holidays, which leads to the rise of different and creative promotional methods.

Rami Sasilah (a cloth  merchant ) explained that customers often visit specific stores because of previous experience, pointing out that selling goods under the current circumstances and rising prices is not an easy task.

The smile, honeyed words , and the lack of arrogance and boldness.... With these words, Anwar al-Shami, who has been working in the market for 40 years, summarized the concept of promotion. He stressed that the reputation of the merchant affects the reputation of his goods, as it is one of the main factors that attract people to some stores and not others.

Muhammad Al-Halabi (Abu Nabil) relies in promoting his goods on displaying it in a way that attracts customers into the store. He says, "The seller must be frank and not hide the defects of the offered products, as each product has specifications that determine its price".

In turn, Akram Ashlan, a textile merchant, confirmed that his own method of promoting his various fabrics is to display them in consistent colors that affect the customer and make him attracted to the store in a spontaneous way in addition to making offers and discounts in light of the high prices of most products.

Many people  asserted that the sellers' manner of speaking and the way they received them when entering the store played an important role in convincing them to buy the commodity in addition to the multiple options and the reasonable prices compared to other markets.

Amal Farhat

 Aleppo, (ST) -   With the participation of 100 entrepreneurs, the Jasmine and Oak Festival, organized by women entrepreneurs, was recently launched in the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce at the Sheraton Hotel.

The participants displayed their products, which included textile and wool handicrafts, embroideries, ornamental accessories and silver jewelry

Ready-made clothes, furnishings, pottery and copper products, carpets, soap, in addition to Aleppian thyme, foods and sweets that reflect the creativity of the Aleppian woman and the skill of the city's artisans.

 Gina Mufti, a member of the business entrepreneurs of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce, explained in a statement to SANA that the festival is an important opportunity for entrepreneurs to market their products and handicrafts over a four-day festival.