Damascus’ Qabqabiyya Market: Echoes of a vanished craft

Shafaq News – Damascus

Steps away from the Umayyad Mosque, Syria’s Qabqabiyya Market still whispers the story of a craft that has long vanished. Centuries ago, its workshops produced wooden qabqab clogs for bathhouses and mosques.

The trade has disappeared, but the market’s name remains etched into the memory of Damascus’ old city. The narrow vaulted alley, once filled with carpenters and cobblers, now lines with small shops selling oriental antiques, Damascene textiles, silverwork and copperware. Visitors wander through stone arches in search of souvenirs that carry the spirit of the past.

To revive the historic markets, Syria’s Ministry of Tourism has announced restoration and maintenance projects in cooperation with local and international groups. Some activity has since returned, though traders say recovery is slow, burdened by rising costs and limited state support.

Ridwan al-Hussein, who sells oriental crafts, told Shafaq News that business has improved slightly over the past year but remains far from pre-2011 levels. “Our work can compete anywhere if given the support and access to foreign markets,” he said.

For heritage expert Maamoun al-Sawwaf, Qabqabiyya — now six to seven centuries old — is more than a commercial passage. “It is part of Damascus’ identity,” he explained, arguing that restoring such markets can both reconnect youth with their heritage and create economic opportunities.