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Reviving Arsali traditional carpet making
22-5-2017
In a special feature today, Al Akhbar newspaper highlighted the traditional craft of carpet weaving in Arsal, the Beqaa, which has declined in the past two decades after a big boom in previous years. A reminder that this trade arrived to Arsal in the mid of the past century coming from its neighbor town Fakha (northern Beqaa), the newspaper wrote. But due to a number of factors, including scarcity of pastures and cattle herds for wool and total disregard on part of the government to support the craft, it gradually declined. In this respect, Al Akhbar shed light on the ‘craft and heritage’ initiative that was set up by 10 women from Arsal with the aim to revive the endangered traditional industry, and which, it added, has to some extent, succeeded in revamping carpet and rug weaving. One of the women involved in this initiative explained to Al Akhbar that weaving on looms using wool and cotton is an ancient craftsmanship that was started by “our fathers and grandfathers as a source of livelihood, and that we are seeking to restore.” Bringing up an old Lebanese saying ‘a skill with hurdles’, she creatively described the drawbacks and challenges facing carpet artisans. These include, difficulty in provision of wool and dyes, lack of official support and poor marketing, the woman told the newspaper’s reporter. Besides, reluctance to buy pricey and heavy carpets has driven ‘craft and heritage’ beneficiaries to focus on the weaving of carpets that are one meter to two and a half meter long at reasonable prices (USD 100 to USD 250). (Al Akhbar, May 22, 2017)
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