• A History of Handicrafts

    Handicrafts

    The very first handicrafts to be made by humans started right at the dawn of mankind’s evolution -marking it actually, induced by the need of food,the need of tools that were to be forged in order to hunt for prey,and the primal instinct of survival. Around 2.6 million years ago early Homo Habilis relied on objects from their environment and shaped surrounding materials to their will,which resulted in the creation of the first handicrafts ever made:TOOLS! Tools and weapons like spears and axes which they used in order to survive,to hunt,to protect themselves in their wild habitats, and to climb over predators higher than themselves on the food chain. YES,those were handicrafts, and they built a creative artistic basis for the evolution of the hand-made craft.

    As mankind evolved, so did the craft of hand-made,it played a part that grew bigger and bigger in human societies flourishing into a way of portrayal of art,culture and heritage of individual societies. In addition to conveying craftsmen’s opinions,emotions,and a great way to document historical snippets around the world and throughout the times. The craftsman in his work relies on their individual mental and manual skills which grow through the practice of the craft itself. They use raw ores and substances from their surrounding environment and shape them into expressive pieces of art, which in turn fill their hearts with joy and a sense of fulfillment when they eventually see the final form of the artifacts their hands have made come to realization. The craft gives its master a greater sense of value and empowers their confidence in themselves, especially when their productions are difficult or impossible to achieve using machines and an even greater sense of accomplishment when those productions benefit others in their societies. That is why handicrafts are not of great expense but of great value,especially those that aren’t widely practiced and those hard to learn and create, and those that belong to a craft that is more difficult to preserve.

    Traditional handicrafts In the Levant (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine) spread throughout the region and eventually the world, encompassing within their precise marvelous details many distinctive properties of different cultures that lived in the region throughout the millennia, forming a canvas saturated with beauty and culture. These crafts evolved from simple hobbies into high forms of expression,and into inveterate professions passed down and inherited one generation at a time to be protected from peril. Damascus (Syria) became a household name for a collection of prominent hand-made crafts such as Faience and Pottery,the craft of Copper,Glass,Wood and Shelling,Carpets,Embroidery and Crochet.

    During the rule of the Roman Empire,many hand-made crafts flourished such as the craft of Mosaic,Pottery,the craft of Fabrics,and the craft of glass to name a few. That was due to the ascension of the arts within the craft of hand-made and the taste of the consumers; especially the lavish ones who were in pursuit of luxury. The next phase of prosperity came later on during the Islamic era,specifically in the Omayyad era,during -which Damascus became even more renowned for its production of traditional handicrafts like etched, embedded and shelled wooden furniture, Copper tools,battle weapons, Pottery, Ornaments,and a variety of other crafts that carry the spirit of Syrian art,taste,and skill.

    Ancient traditional Damascene crafts also include the distinctive craft of “Ajami” named for its variant ornamentational mix of Arabic, Persian, Greek,Turkish and Moroccan details. A craft that Damascene artists novelled in,preserved throughout the generations,and decorated copious numbers of houses and palaces with to add a unique and luxurious oriental trait.

    Another distinctive traditional Damascene craft is Wood-shelling,a handicraft that demands extreme precision and delicacy from the craftsman. Its branches include palace and mansion main hall decor,museum and Mosque decor,and the decor of sumptuous homes of which the owners deem this craft a ravishing luxurious treat to the walls and halls of their mega mansions.

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