Grape lights story in photos

Glass-blowing has very ancient traditions in Syria. The skills are still alive but the craft is dying as demand fails to keep up with the cost of maintaining?furnace temperatures.?There is only one traditional glass-making workshop left in Damascus: it is a family business in which knowledge has passed down over several generations.

Glass bottles are collected from all over the city and separated according to colour; after being smashed and washed, the?fragments?are melted down. In order to?conserve purity, no more than one colour can be worked at the same time. The artisans?labour around the clock as the furnace is never allowed to die down. They blow grapes and vases,?mould spiral discs and bulbous glasses: they can?make anything to order. But who knows how long they can continue their fabulous work. The skills are difficult, the glass is delicate and not many people outside Syria know of these wonderful resources.