The attar sells essential oils, herbs, spices and nuts, combining several familiar elements of the traditional market in one shop. Historically, the attar also played the role of a neighborhood herbalist, preparing mixtures used in local healing traditions. The trade has experienced renewed interest and popularity, helping sustain its place in Tripoli’s commercial heritage.
Read MoreTraditional glassblowing has survived in Beddawi, the northern suburb of Tripoli. In 2019, one remaining workshop was still producing glass using the blowing method.
Read MoreGoldsmithing is closely connected with Tripoli’s historic Gold Market. Compared with many other traditional crafts, it has retained stronger demand and continued to form a recognizable part of the old city’s commercial life.
Read MoreReady-made clothing has greatly reduced the demand for traditional sewing and embroidery in Tripoli. Only a small number of craftspeople have continued working in these trades. Their output includes folkloric garments, embroidered household pieces, decorative items and gifts, allowing needlework skills to survive through specialized work.
Read MorePottery was an essential craft for thousands of years, supplying vessels and other objects for daily use. By 2019, three factories in El Mina remained as representatives of that tradition. The makers faced declining demand as households turned to other materials and products. Their continued work preserved the craft despite the difficulty of sustaining it […]
Read MoreCarpentry and wood carving have long been major crafts in Tripoli. The city is known for furniture and other wooden products sold throughout Lebanon and exported abroad. Numerous workshops have continued the trade, particularly in the older neighborhoods. Their work connects practical furniture making with the decorative skills of wood carving.
Read MoreMaking and renewing wool mattresses, pillows, blankets and covers is an old Tripolitan profession. It has become increasingly rare, with only a small number of craftspeople maintaining the work. Much of the surviving trade is carried out on request, preserving the skills through individual household commissions.
Read MoreMaking tarabish, the traditional fez, is a craft with roughly four centuries of history. Demand declined sharply after people largely stopped wearing the distinctive head covering in the middle of the twentieth century. The trade survived with difficulty. By 2019, the last workshop was described as having resumed production after an approximately fifteen-year closure, offering […]
Read MoreRepairing household objects is itself a longstanding Tripolitan craft. Copper tools, coffee pots and hookahs can be mended and returned to use instead of being discarded. One artisan documented in 2019 had practiced the same trade in the same workshop for more than sixty years, illustrating the continuity and accumulated skill behind this everyday work.
Read MoreHandmade shoes crafted from natural leather were once part of Tripoli’s traditional trades. The work depends on individual skill and hand production, but has become one of the crafts at risk of disappearing.
Read More
