Damascene Aghabani in Douma… Story that preserves the memory of place
Damascus Countryside, June 24 (SANA)In the city ofDouma, the bride of Eastern Ghouta, thecraft of Aghabanicontinues to withstand the passage of time as one of the oldesttraditional Syrian industries.
Woven into its threads is a social and cultural memory that has endured for centuries, documenting the story of women who created beauty with patience and precision, preserving a heritage deeply tied to the identity of the place.
This Damascene craft was highlighted byheritageresearcher Ahmad Barhoum during a lecture organized by the “Our Green Fields” Foundation at the Cultural Center in Jdeidet Artouz on Thursday.
Barhoum explained that the word Aghabani is of Turkish origin and means “fabric ornamentation.”
It was once reserved for leaders, scholars, and the wealthy before gradually becoming an integral part of Syrian popular heritage.
Barhoum noted that the presence of this craft in Aleppo dates back more than five hundred years, before it spread to Damascus and its countryside through the city of Douma, carried by the Al-Bani and Al-Agha families, according to several sources.
He added that Douma became one of the most important hubs ofAghabani productionin Syria, where the number of Aghabani machines exceeded fifteen thousand before 2011, prior to the sharp decline caused by the bombardment and siege imposed on the city By the deposed regime.