Al -Jazeera Net Correspondents
Beirut- “The Armenians went to Lebanon,” so Saco Chankian, one of the last Armenian craftsmen, summarizes his relationship with the craft of manual gold formulation, which is slowly dying in Lebanon, as is the case in the whole world.
This profession, which was an economic and cultural pillar of an ancient Armenian community, is eating today under the weight of modern factories, which produce thousands of pieces in hours, but lacks “the soul”, as he put it.
From Aleppo to Anger
The relationship of the Armenians is linked to the craft of gold drafting manually with the history of their great displacement from Turkey to Lebanon in 1920. On that day, they carried their tools and skills with them and established the nucleus of an important economic sector in Beirut, which reached its climax in the 1960s in the gold market adjacent to the Martyrs Square, which turned into a destination for Arab and foreign tourists, even at the height of the Lebanese war.
Saco recovers his memories, saying that he was discipled by Dunkisto Hanksian and Rijj Darnbayan in the 1940s, and they were the first to create a handcraft manually drafted in Ashrafieh and the cycle, before moving later to Borj Hammoud.
He added in his interview with Al -Jazeera Net: “The profession expanded with the arrival of the Bougousian family from Aleppo, and it flourished quickly in Anjar within the Armenian gatherings.”
Between technology and passion … the craft in the wind
But that golden age has become from the past. “There are only a few hand craftsmen left,” says Saco with sorrow. He explains that the Lebanese market is filled with imported gold from Taiwan and China, while about 400 modern workshops produce thousands of pieces per day, which prompted its craft towards the great retreat: “I was made or ram 20 kilos annually, but today I do not accomplish more than kilos.”
The Armenian presence in Lebanon extends for more than 3 centuries, but the largest wave of displacement was between 1916 and 1939. Today, the number of Lebanese Armenians ranges between 150 and 160 thousand, some of them occupy political positions, adhere to their language, identity and craftsmanship, on top of which is the formulation of gold. Is there a new generation carrying the flame?
Mikel Shankian (Sako’s son) confirms that he learns the secrets of the profession from his father, and works to develop his skills to revive this heritage: “I believe in the presence of customers who appreciate the hand -made ring or contract, because it carries high -quality art and high quality, and complements the personality of those who wear it.”
Despite his recognition of the difficulty of facing modern technology, Shankayan indicates that the price of a kilo of gold to 100 thousand dollars represents a major obstacle, in addition to sweeping the major factories of the market. But he insists on continuing: “I am insisting on confrontation in order to land my conscience, and I maintain the leadership of the people of Anjar in this field.”
What do market experts say?
Hadi Jabara, a gold manufacturer and diamond assessment expert, notes that finding hand craftsmen has become rare: “We face difficulty in meeting the requests of some customers, especially expatriates and unique pieces of pieces.”
“We are in the time of modern technology, we must be realistic. The Lebanese market depends almost on the production of modern factories, which are managed by most of them are Armenian professionals,” he added.
Jabara notes that the sector is witnessing a large internal growth, due to the Lebanese resorting to gold as a safe haven in light of the economic crisis, and he adds: “The export volume has touched 90% of the locally manufactured quantities or re -exported.”.
But despite this growth, Jabara admits that the automatic product is not matched in its artistic value, the pieces made: “The machines produce a thousand diamond ring within hours, but the market does not wait for anyone.”
The question remains: Will the Lebanese state, or even the institutions of the Armenian society, are saved this craft before it disappears? Does the new generation find enough passion and support to continue the Saco road, the last craftsmen in Anjar?
