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NAWL” weaving is considered one of the oldest handcrafts in history. In the beginning, it was a “home craft” made by the use of sheep and goat wool. Historians claimed that Phoenician NAWL fabrics surpassed others, in quality and for tinting the wool in purple. During their mandate, Emir Fakhreddine and Great Emir Bechir Chehab encouraged NAWL, and Zouk Mikaël became in the 18th and 19th century the “silk village”. Its craftspeople developed after 1860 the knitting technique on the “Arabic NAWL” that travelled to Lebanon from Homs.

NAWL became the specialty of Zouk Mikaël. At the golden age, the crafts people innovated a lot in the weaving technique. They also diversified the items and the creations: abayas, scarves, wall decorative tapestries and patterns....

NAWL craftsmen in Zouk Mikaël could weave geometrical oriental designs as well as stylized European and Turkish shapes. Some of their designs came also from Persian inspiration. They were famous for their accurate reproduction of figures on their fabrics. During the Turkish Sultanate, the bride used to be proud in preparing her “Jhaz” (trousseau) from the Zouk Mikaël NAWL. In this period NAWL machines were estimated at 135 and Zouk Mikaël earned annually around 92370 piastres.

At the beginning of the 20th century the industrial revolution halted NAWL development. Very few NAWL machines remained in operation, and associated crafts, such as silk tinting, disappeared completely. NAWL workers fought this stagnation by concentrating on weaving artistic subjects. The civil war in 1975 had its consequences on the dramatic decline of the NAWL, due mainly to the disappearance of tourists and summer vacationers. Foreign competition added despair to an already gloomy situation. The NAWL now needs help to bring back this great craft to life.

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For More Information, please visit: www.zoukmikael.gov.lb