In Tripoli's Old City, young Libyans weave delicate patterns with threads of silver and gold to create traditional filigree jewellery, reviving an art almost lost.
AFP/Mahmud Turkia
Trainees learn about precious metal alloys before studying the art of filigree, in which beads and threads of the precious materials are woven into intricate designs then soldered together to create jewellery. "Craftsmen in the medina of Tripoli were trained by Jewish masters and later by Arabs, at the prestigious School of Arts and Trades" founded in the late 19th century, he said.But generations of tradition were abruptly halted after Moamer Kadhafi took power in a 1969 coup.
"The state reduced Libyan crafts to nothing and forced a generation of young apprentices, who should have taken up the baton, to instead leave the traditional crafts and join the army" or become civil servants, said Aboughress. "We should be training artists to preserve our heritage," she said."All it needs is people with passion."
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