Posted on 03/31/2009 2:56:28 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A traditional Jordanian art may die out when the Abu Mohaisen family close down their shop in downtown Amman next week.
For over one-hundred years, the family has produced daggers, or shibriyas, decorative knives in traditional bedouin and Hashemite styles, a longstanding Jordanian symbol of power, grace and resilience.
“Back in the day, you weren’t a man if you weren’t wearing one. It is a symbol for all of Jordan,” said Abed Abu Mohaisen, who along with his five brothers spent their entire lives making the blades.
The 44-year-old said the trade is more than a family business, rather a labour-intensive craft passed down through the generations.
The craft started, he said, when their grandfather’s grandfather, Mohammad Mohaisen, was conscripted into the Ottoman army in the mid-19th century. Sent to what is now modern-day Turkey, he learned the arts of metalwork, the intimate craftsmanship of making knives, swords, shields and even rifles by hand.
After 20 years of service, he returned to his tribe in southern Transjordan and applied his newly found skills, crafting knives to assist in the harsh daily life in the desert. Quickly, the decorative knives he made were embraced as a sign of nobility and honour for his customers in the bedouin communities, the grandson said.
As part of their nomadic way of life, the family took their trade to Beersheba in southern Palestine in the late 19th century.
During the British mandate in the 1930s, Palestinians were forbidden to carry or make the traditional daggers for fear of them being used as weapons against British troops, spurring the Abu Mohaisens to close shop and return to Jordan, they said.
Once back in Jordan, the Abu Mohaisens began crafting shibriyas in a style close to the “jambiya” daggers made in Hijaz at the time, with a curved blade and sheath, and a golden crown on the hilt in honour of the Hashemite Monarchy.
Over the years, the family operated out of their workshop across from the Roman Amphitheatre, producing knives for members of the Royal family, the Royal Badia Forces, foreign dignitaries and tourists alike.
Every knife, in steel or silver, is made by hand just as Mohammad Mohaisen learned from the Ottomans, each blade with intricate designs bearing the Abu Mohaisen stamp, a mark which has remained unchanged for nearly 200 years.
Visitors from across the world have found their shop, said a brother of Abed, Zaid Abu Mohaisen, 36, not through the Internet, tour guides or brochures, but through word-of-mouth and the workshop’s location a few metres across from the Roman Amphitheatre.
“It is an unforgettable location. We have people coming back after a decade. Our location has been very much about who we are,” he said.
But according to the brothers, a trade, which has outlasted occupation and the rise and fall of empires, is now facing its greatest test yet: modern development and global trade.
Over the last decade, the souvenir market has been flooded by cheap imitations manufactured in assembly lines in Syria, China and India sold at tourist sites across the country or in mega-stores along the Desert Highway.
“They are made of cheap material and will never last. They are clearly not Jordanian,” he said.
With plans to renovate the area around the amphitheatre for an investment project, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has told the Abu Mohaisens, along with adjacent stores, to vacate the area by early next week.
Despite holding discussions with GAM, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, shop owners and the Jordan Handicrafts Association said they have had little luck in finding an alternative.
Though the family was provided with JD30,000 from GAM to purchase a new shop, the brothers said the amount is not enough to keep the art alive.
“You cannot buy a single store downtown for less than JD50,000, let alone a whole workshop,” Zaid told The Jordan Times, noting that in order to support his family, he is abandoning the trade and will attempt to work in electric engineering.
Abed Mohaisen said that with the recent birth of his son, he fears for the future of the family business.
“How can I teach my son the craft if I do not have a workshop? If we lose this shop, we are going to be the last generation. The art will die with us,” he warned.
Zaid Abu Mohaisen agreed.
“Without our workshop the business is no longer viable. Our children will probably never pick up a shibriya,” he said.
For now, the Abu Mohaisen family will move what is left of their workshop into their home, in South Hashemi neighbourhood east Amman, expressing doubt that their inter-generational business will last more than a month away from the downtown area.
The brothers claim they are willing to relocate to any site with a tourist flow, anywhere in the Kingdom, to keep the ancient craft alive.
“Give us a space in Madaba, in Jerash, even in Petra. We will go there,” Abed Abu Mohaisen said, expressing sorrow as he took the final dagger off his shop’s wall.
“I feel like a parent who has outlived his children,” he said.
“An important part of Jordan’s history will be lost forever.”
Get one while you can, I have a feeling prices are about to go up.
Great story.
Yes, I thought it was interesting.
Nice, I’d bet they find another shop.
Interesting vignette about blade cultures, it reminds me a of the Scots and their Skein Dhu’s.
Thanks for posting this Nick. Great story.
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Thanks nickcarraway.A traditional Jordanian art may die out when the Abu Mohaisen family close down their shop in downtown Amman next week. For over one-hundred years, the family has produced daggers, or shibriyas, decorative knives in traditional bedouin and Hashemite styles, a longstanding Jordanian symbol of power, grace and resilience. "Back in the day, you weren't a man if you weren't wearing one. It is a symbol for all of Jordan," said Abed Abu Mohaisen, who along with his five brothers spent their entire lives making the blades.Back in the day? Barf alert.The 44-year-old said the trade is more than a family business, rather a labour-intensive craft passed down through the generations. The craft started, he said, when their grandfather's grandfather, Mohammad Mohaisen, was conscripted into the Ottoman army in the mid-19th century. Sent to what is now modern-day Turkey, he learned the arts of metalwork, the intimate craftsmanship of making knives, swords, shields and even rifles by hand. After 20 years of service, he returned to his tribe in southern Transjordan and applied his newly found skills... Over the years, the family operated out of their workshop across from the Roman Amphitheatre, producing knives for members of the Royal family, the Royal Badia Forces, foreign dignitaries and tourists alike. Every knife, in steel or silver, is made by hand just as Mohammad Mohaisen learned from the Ottomans, each blade with intricate designs bearing the Abu Mohaisen stamp, a mark which has remained unchanged for nearly 200 years.Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
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