National Museum of Damascus is one of the world’s richest museums in ancient glass holdings

The National Museum of Damascus is one of the world’s richest museums in ancient glass holdings that give visitors an idea about the prosperity of the Syrian glass industry throughout different ages. This fact was proved by the archeological excavations and the artifacts that were kept in the display vitrines of the national Museum of Damascus and other museums in other Syrian provinces.

Shedding light on these treasures, Director of Excavations and Archeological Studies at the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums (GDAM) Humam Sa’d said in a statement to SANA “the roots of the glass industry go back to the Bronze Ages, and that the first archaeological remains, which date back to 3000 BC, confirm the prosperity of this industry, mainly in the northern coast of the Mediterranean. The Canaanites (Phoenicians) had a major role in the development of this industry”.

On the Roman Glass, Sa’d said Syria was a main center for this industry. Archeological findings showed many kinds of glass vessels, some of which were used in funeral rituals and some others were used in daily life. Excavations also found luxurious glass utensils, which were owned by a certain class of society at that time.

Sa’d explained that with the invention of glass blowing technology, large quantities of it became available, so people were able to use glass utensils in their homes.

By the end of the Hellenistic age and the beginning of the Roman era, according to Sa’d, a new and unique technique emerged, which is using glass pieces in forming mosaic panels, elaborating: “we have important types in Syria, most recent of which was the mosaic panel discovered in Al-Rastan city in Homs and in which glass pieces with different colors were used. Such a technique used to be adopted in luxurious buildings and places.”

Concerning the National Museum’s glass holdings, Sa’d said: “the National Museum of Damascus and the museums in other governorates contain thousands of glass artifacts, dating back mainly to what was discovered in the cemeteries and found during archaeological excavations, which brought us important examples of this ancient industry,” indicating that the Classical Museum possesses various types dating back to the first century BC until the Byzantine period and beyond. There is also a huge collection of glass collectibles from the Islamic era.

The same idea was confirmed by the Curator of the Classical Museum in the National Museum Ali Al-Habib, who clarified that the classical museum contains a wide set of glass utensils, that go back to the Byzantine and Roman eras and that were used in daily life, medical purposes and as jewelries.

As for the collections of the Islamic Museum at the National Museum of Damascus, its curator Nevin Saad Al-Din stressed that it includes approximately 4,000-5,000 glass artifacts whose manufacturing and decoration techniques, locations, and manufacturing workshops were different, and which were primarily located in Raqqa and Aleppo and Damascus governorates.

She clarified that these collections indicate that glass industry in Syria is old and it reached the Islamic era from previous ages and it was developed by introducing decorative elements, writings, inscriptions and symbols.

According to Saad Al-Din, each piece, kept in the National Museum of Damascus, has a story, as it passed to us by the hands of more than one person, artist, maker and painter.

For us, these stories are precious Syrian treasures and they represent part of our authentic culture and identity, which affirms that the Syrian manufacturer was the one who exported this ancient industry to European countries by virtue of trade relations, as we can see some types of glass in Italy and the credit for them goes to the creative Syrians”.

Hamda Mustafa