STORY: Intangible cultural heritage inheritors in Syria hope to revive glassblowing tradition 
SHOOTING DATE: Dec. 27, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 28, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:59
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of glassblowing process
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MUHAMMAD HALLAQ, Glassblower
3. various of glassblowing process
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): YASMIN DARWISH, Apprentice
5. various of glassblowing process
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): BASMA MAJZOUB, Apprentice
7. various of glassblowing process

STORYLINE:

In the heart of Damascus, the capital of Syria, 63-year-old Muhammad Hallaq has run a glassblowing workshop, a family legacy that spans three generations.

In his workshop in the Zablatani area, Hallaq and six family members have remained to blow glass to keep this time-honored Syrian technique from dying out.

Hallaq is delighted as the glassblowing tradition has recently been inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MUHAMMAD HALLAQ, Glassblower
"I have been working in the craft of glassblowing since I was nine years old. I am proud of this craft and it's a Syrian industry that has been inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the category of 'Need of Urgent Safeguarding' by UNESCO. The next generations would learn it and the craft would never go extinct after all efforts."

In the workshop, Yasmin Darwish, a 15-year-old enthusiast and her mother Basma Majzoub are learning the craft after visiting the workshop and falling in love with it.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): YASMIN DARWISH, Apprentice
"I love handcrafts and when I was introduced to this craft, we loved it even more than sewing. We felt that it has more art to it."
In the beginning, I felt it was hard but with time it's becoming easier and I love to spend time doing it. When I return home, I count the minutes to return to the workshop the next morning."

Her mother, Basma Majzoub, at 41, shares her affection for the craft, describing the sound of glass as music.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): BASMA MAJZOUB, Apprentice
"I visited this place before and I fell in love with this craft. The sound of glass was like music. I liked the shape and the craftsmanship of the cluster of grapes shaped by the glass. And I will continue learning it as a hobby and as a business as well. I will never leave it. It's a hobby, a heritage."

Despite the optimism, economic sanctions, particularly those affecting the import of vital dying colors, further squeeze the life out of an already struggling industry, according to Hallaq.

He said his business suffered a 90 percent drop in demand during the crisis, noting that he is surviving through support from relatives abroad who contribute to sustaining him in the face of economic hardship.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)