Using a wooden loom dating back to more than a hundred years , a craftsman is unique in making silk male head dress

Alone behind an old wooden loom, the craftsman Sami Naddaf sits on his loom, which dates back to more than a hundred years. This traditional scene reminds us of a history when the Syrian textile industry flourished and its fame reached fashion international houses.

The craftsman Naddaf, 65 years old, inherited the textile industry from his grandfather. He is unique in this kind of craft – sewing the silk male head dress, which is one of the popular folk clothes for the head that was prevalent in a period of time and which is now a popular heritage.

Nadaf made it clear in a statement to SANA correspondent that every Syrian countryside has its own costume. In the past, Homs was famous for the loom and the textile industry, so that most families in the city and the countryside possessed a loom to sew fabrics of all kinds.

From his place in the Al-Hamidiya neighborhood in Homs, Nadaf moved to the Armenian neighborhood because of the terrorist war and he pursued his profession with passion and pleasure in sewing the silk head dress with its various types and patterns.

“I work today to pass this craft on to future generations as an ancient Syrian profession which has evolved over time in terms of patterns and decorations, but today this craft is about to disappear, so it is necessary to preserve it in order to remain in close contact with our heritage, that includes a lot of creativity and hand mastery. ” Naddaf said.

The silk head cover is worn in the governorates of Sweida, Idlib and Aleppo as well as in Qalamoun in Damascus countryside. In each one of these places, the silk head dress has its own decoration and style.

Nadaf also weaves other silk types, such as gowns and women’s shawls by adding types of  embroidery, patterns, and motifs according to demand.

Naddaf  participated in many local exhibitions. He hopes that these crafts will be passed on to generations and that the traditional crafts will be revived in cooperation with craft associations in Homs through finding a suitable tourist place for them and promoting its dissemination in all governorates.

Inas Abdulkareem