Damascus Woodcraft Workshops Resist Modern Production in Medhat Pasha Bazaar

In Damascus’s old streets, especially in Medhat Pasha Bazaar, workshops making wooden molds and hand tools are still surviving despite modern production. The craft remains rooted in traditional methods and is seen as a living part of the city’s cultural heritage. Artisans choose durable woods such as walnut, beech and apricot to make their products by hand. The work depends on knowledge and skills passed down from one generation to the next. Workshop owners say they are under pressure from high raw material prices and competition with factory-made products. Even so, demand for wooden baklava and cookie molds rises ahead of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The handmade items continue to hold a place in Damascus’s market life, with buyers drawn to products shaped by craftsmanship rather than mass production. For the city, the workshops represent both an economic struggle and an effort to preserve a long-standing cultural tradition.