Syrian Mosaic Industry and Art
Mosaic is an ancient Syrian art that is more than 300 years deep in Damascus’ history; it is the art of grafting wood with shells, silver or ivory. Early in the 19th century, mosaic existed in the houses of almost all well-established Syrian families, after which it became a familiar décor in presidential palaces around the world.
The craft utilizes different types of wood including walnut, beech and other types, but the delicacy of it lies in the maker’s imagination, who innovatively manipulate geometrical shapes, octagons, squares, hexagons and triangles, to come up with unique pieces.
Aleppo soap
This soap has a pure olive oil base to which bayleaf (laurel) oil is added. This creates a pure and gentle soap, free of chemicals (only olive and laurel oils, water, natural salt) which is wonderfully kind to the skin. Nourishes, soothes and cleanses thanks to the moisturising, healing and purifying properties of laurel oil.
In the Near East, laurel oil is used to treat eczema, psoriasis and numerous other skin complaints.
With its exceptional antiseptic properties, real Aleppo soap is the best guarantee for perfect hygiene for body, face and hands.
The soap has a rich, natural scent of laurel while you bath but doesn’t smell after washed off. The soap can be used as shampoo for dry scalp. The soap lasts longer as it is dried in open air for nine months – high density, few air bubbles and little water. The soap is recommended for facial skin.
Made only from :
- Olive Oil
- Bay Tree (Laurel) Oil
- Soda (extracted from sea salt)
- Water
How it is made :
- The ingredients are cooked in cauldrons for three days.
- A critical moment is when the head artisan tastes the soap and authorises the soap to be poured onto the ground ready for cutting.
- Three days later the soap is cut into individual cakes, stamped by hand with a brass stamp specific to the artisan.
- The soap is then stacked into columns where it dries and matures in open air for a period of nine months.
