{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Ancient art of copper engraving at risk in Syria' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c476d8eafeecae168f39' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c476d8eafeecae168f39' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nAncient art of copper engraving at risk in Syria\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eThe ancient art of copper engraving once thrived in the old markets of the Syrian capital Damascus .But the ongoing conflict between the government and rebels is putting the traditional trade at risk.In the heart of Damascus' old city,...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eThe ancient art of copper engraving once thrived in the old markets of the Syrian capital Damascus .\u003cbr/\u003eBut the ongoing conflict between the government and rebels is putting the traditional trade at risk.\u003cbr/\u003eIn the heart of Damascus' old city, the sound of one of the most traditional and enduring professions in Damascus.\u003cbr/\u003eIt's called chalcography - the art of copper engraving. \u003cbr/\u003eHere, there's a whole marketplace called \"Souq al-Nahhasin\" or the chalcographer's marketplace. And it's here where you will find nothing but specialised copper engraving workshops and shops showing the pieces made by workers who learnt the profession from their fathers and grandfathers. \u003cbr/\u003eThe process of turning an unremarkable pot into a shimmering treasure can be long and arduous.\u003cbr/\u003eWael, a chalcography artisan, says it can take a whole day to make some pieces.\u003cbr/\u003e\"This pot comes to me with a plain surface, I paste a drawing on it and leave it in the sun till it dries. Then it is engraved according to the taste of the worker,\" he says. \u003cbr/\u003e\"Sometimes, one piece takes half a day if the carving is coarse and a whole day if the carving is fine. After finishing the inscription we soak it in water to remove the drawing and then we age it to make it look like an antique, beautiful and made with taste. These kind of pieces are really in demand in the old city, foreigners also buy them to keep them in their houses as antiques.\"\u003cbr/\u003eThere is no exact date for the beginning of the profession, in a city that is thought to be the most ancient capital in the world. \u003cbr/\u003ePeople here say it came to them with along with civilisation. \u003cbr/\u003eSamir is an antiques shop owner and thinks each generation has a duty to continue the tradition.\u003cbr/\u003e\"It is an inveterate profession in Damascus,\" he says. \u003cbr/\u003e\"And nowadays, we the young are trying to develop this profession which we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers and we hope we can shoulder the responsibility.\"\u003cbr/\u003eTourists who used to visit Syria and the capital's old city used to come to this marketplace to buy souvenirs and gifts from the antique shops in Souq al-Nahassin. \u003cbr/\u003eBut there are few tourists now due to the conflict which has gone on in Syria for more than three-and-a-half years.  And just like most other businesses in the area, things are getting worse and worse.\u003cbr/\u003eThe tourist-dependent profession and craftsmanship is in serious danger, and even exports to gulf states and Western countries have decreased by seventy five percent. \u003cbr/\u003eMohammad is an antiques shopkeeper and says his business is barely what it used to be.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Our business was much better before the crisis,\" he says. \u003cbr/\u003e\"They used to come from the Gulf and from Western countries to buy antiques especially from this Souq - marketplace- and we used to export more as well. Now we are exporting but not like before; it has decreased to about a quarter of what it was.\"\u003cbr/\u003eFour year ago you would have found it difficult to even to walk around between the shops, now they are empty. \u003cbr/\u003eThey are now dependant on the local customers who are already facing their own uncertainty because of the war.\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eDamascus, Syria - 3 August 2014\u003cbr/\u003e1. Mid shot of two workers engraving copper pieces outside their workshop\u003cbr/\u003e2. Close of a copper pot being engraved \u003cbr/\u003e3. Mid shot of a worker working on a copper pot\u003cbr/\u003e4. Close of a worker's hands inscribing a copper pot\u003cbr/\u003e5. Mid shot of a worker cleaning a copper tray in a yard outside his workshop\u003cbr/\u003e6. Close of the worker's hand as he cleans the tray\u003cbr/\u003e7. Wide shot of two shops displaying copper antiques\u003cbr/\u003e8. Various of copper products on display in the shop\u003cbr/\u003e9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Wael, chalcography worker:\u003cbr/\u003e\"This pot comes to me with a plain surface, I paste a drawing on it and leave it in the sun till it dries. Then it is engraved according to the taste of the worker. Sometimes, one piece takes half a day if the carving is coarse and a whole day if the carving is fine. After finishing the inscription we soak it in water to remove the drawing and then we age it to make it look like an antique, beautiful and made with taste. These kind of pieces are really in demand in the old city, foreigners also buy them to keep them in their houses as antiques\"\u003cbr/\u003e10. Mid shot of a chalcographer working on a piece\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close of the worker working decorating the piece\u003cbr/\u003e12. Various of copper trays and pots on display in shops\u003cbr/\u003e13. Mid shot of a worker inscribing a pot between his legs\u003cbr/\u003e14. Close of the pot being decorated\u003cbr/\u003e15. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Samir, antiques shop owner:\u003cbr/\u003e\"It is an inveterate profession in Damascus. And nowadays, we the young are trying to develop this profession which we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers and we hope we can shoulder the responsibility\"\u003cbr/\u003e16. Mid shot of coffee pots in a shop\u003cbr/\u003e17. Mid shot of items hanging on a display\u003cbr/\u003e18. Wide shot of two antique shops, with a poster of Syrian president\u003cbr/\u003e19. Pan left of an antique shop window display\u003cbr/\u003e20. Various shots of copper antiques\u003cbr/\u003e21. Close of a tray inscribed with \"The almighty Allah God\"\u003cbr/\u003e22. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mohammad, antiques shopkeeper \u003cbr/\u003e\"Our business was much better before the crisis. They used to come from the Gulf and from Western countries to buy antiques especially from this Souq - marketplace- and we used to export more as well. Now we are exporting but not like before; it decreased to about a quarter of what it was.\"\u003cbr/\u003e23. Tilt down of an antiques shop display\u003cbr/\u003e24. 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