STORY: Sand bottle artist in Jordan expresses hope for peace in Gaza
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 20, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 21, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:48
LOCATION: Amman
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Laith making sand bottles
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): LAITH QASIM, Sand bottle artist
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAITH QASIM, Sand bottle artist
4. various of Laith helping a girl make sand bottle

STORYLINE:

Sand bottle art is a traditional handicraft that is taken up by a large group of artists at tourist attractions in Jordan.

Laith Qasim, a 22-year-old young man, is one of them. Laith has been practicing this art for ten years. First as a hobby, then 5 years ago, he turned his passion for this art into a professional career and made a living from this.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): LAITH QASIM, Sand bottle artist
"This craft has existed for hundreds of years, since the time of the Nabataeans who built Petra. They were the ones who invented it. They made the hourglass and then developed it through drawing using sand. It was passed on from generation to generation and we learned it. It is a traditional Jordanian craft.
I learned it when I was a child. It was my hobby and I loved drawing. I loved it and continued working at it."

Woking at the downtown area of the Jordanian capital Amman, Laith not only practices the art and craft of sand bottle drawing, but also allows customers to learn the art and draw by themselves. 
But as many others working in the tourism sector, Laith's business has been affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAITH QASIM, Sand bottle artist"Tourism has currently been severely affected by the crisis. Tourism has declined, especially in the Middle East. We as workers in the tourism sector have been greatly affected. There are no tourists in the country, and my entire work depends on tourism.God willing, tourists will return, and tourism will return to the country, and the conflicts will end."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Amman.
(XHTV)