InfoAnda - Disappearing tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Defiant Florida church says Koran burning to go ahead | 9 September 2010
Analysis: TV makers fumble towards the future | | 10 January 2011
Google CEO Schmidt quits Apple board amid scrutiny | 4 August 2009

Bill Cosby and hip-hop artists unite for "Emergency" | 19 October 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Disappearing tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition World Disappearing tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline AFP - Thursday, March 10 Send IM Story Print Disappearing tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - – Known across the region for its fine texture, the Najafi abaya is worn by all manner of VIPs from officials to oil-rich sheikhs. But the men who produce the hand-made cloth, inheritors of a generations-old trade, are increasingly going out of business. "Let me tell you something," said Kadhim, laughing bitterly while embroidering one of the full-length cloaks, spread across his lap. "If I could find a government job, I would stop all this. "This work is too hard, and business is not good anymore." The bazaar where Kadhim has his shop, at the entrance to the shrine to Imam Ali, revered among Shiites, was once dominated by makers of this traditional garb. Now many stalls sell trinkets, toys and other forms of clothing to pilgrims from mainly Shiite Muslim Iran, as the tradition of hand-made abayas -- those designed and sold in Najaf are only for men -- has seen a dramatic decline in recent years. The 41-year-old Kadhim, whose family has been in the business so long that he takes the last name Abu Chengal or "father of the crochet hook", does not know if he can hang on much longer. "My sales of the summer abaya are down to around a fifth of what they were 10 years ago -- I used to sell hundreds but now I sell dozens," he moaned. The 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein unleashed a number of changes, from ending the UN trade embargo on Iraq and lifting the country's own protectionist policies to pushing up the value of the Iraqi dinar. The unrest itself caused a sudden drop in demand for abaya, as fewer customers dared venture to Najaf. And for what orders remained, traditional abaya weavers and tailors found themselves dramatically undercut, prompting many to scramble for secure government jobs. The new competition came not only from imported textiles, now flooding the market alongside other imported goods, but from improvements in abaya cloth produced in domestic factories and much cheaper than its hand-made counterpart. While an embroidered hand-made abaya sells in Najaf's market for between 500,000 and 800,000 Iraqi dinars ($425-$675), factory-made or imported ones can be bought for as little as 75,000 dinars ($65). "When I quit a few years ago, I was selling each abaya cloth for 120,000 to 150,000 dinars ($100-$125)," lamented Hussein Sayed, 63, a weaver who left the trade in 2005. The hand-made item is labour intensive, he pointed out, taking one worker three to 10 days to weave cloth for one abaya, even before it is embroidered. Meanwhile, "you could buy a piece of cloth for an abaya for 20,000 dinars ($17) -- that price was too low, I could not compete," said Sayed. "As soon as international trade began, our jobs were finished." Four of his six sons learned the craft but are now taxi drivers. Razzaq Mohammed, 58, told a similar story -- he dropped weaving to open a general store in 2006 when the craft no longer generated sufficient income. "It was all we did, my family has done this for more than 100 years -- I opened my eyes at birth, and my family was making abayas this way," he said, standing by three looms kept in a separate room of his home. "The sheikhs, the VIPs, they still want hand-made Najafi abayas. But the work is not continuous, it is not dependable." His son Ahmed, 31, still practices the craft, painstakingly unknotting yarn made from sheep wool, warping the loom and weaving abaya panels on the old frame with its series of weights and pulleys affixed to the wall and ceiling. But the amount of work on offer is not enough. "I will leave all this if I find another job that covers the needs of my family," Ahmed said. A major boost in the Iraqi dinar made the Najafi abaya less attractive to overseas customers -- whereas $1 bought around 3,000 dinars prior to the 2003 invasion, it now gets only 1,180 dinars. And a change in Najaf's own clientele has added to the impact. Before the invasion, Saddam allowed only a few hundred pilgrims into Iraq on a daily basis to visit holy Shiite shrines. Their number has now jumped to an estimated 3,500 every day, the vast majority Iranian, causing many bazaar merchants to rethink their products. "It used to be all about abayas, but now we sell gifts for tourists," said Yusuf Mohammed Ali, a former tailor who switched to peddling scarves, rings and prayer beads. Hassan Issa al-Hakim, who teaches Islamic history at Kufa University in Najaf's twin city, said the industry dates back more than 150 years and the Najafi abaya "represents the identity of the city". "It was a gift that would be given to political and religious leaders who visited, and it used to be exported across the region," the 69-year-old said. Even now, "there are those who make amazing hand-made abayas but they all depend on requests from clients." Back in the "abaya market", as it is still called, Kadhim sat alongside his friend Ahmed al-Ghazali, both life-long abaya tailors. "Look here," Kadhim said waving into the bazaar. "All of this used to be for selling abayas." "Not anymore. People have moved on." Send IM Story Print Related Articles US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 53 minutes ago Mel Gibson reaches plea deal in domestic abuse case Reuters - 53 minutes ago NPR chief resigns amid controversy Reuters - Thursday, March 10 Spider-Man musical overhauled, delayed again-report Reuters - Thursday, March 10 'Spider-Man' Broadway show 'set for big delay' AFP - Thursday, March 10 News Search Top Stories Veteran US shuttle ends historic spaceflight career Wall Street tycoon driven by greed: prosecutors Egypt government warns of 'counter-revolution' Insurer Prudential eyes Asian growth after doubling profits Libya: live report More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Mass fish death in California harbor Lack of sleep can make you overly optimistic: study NASA scientists in row over 'alien microbes' Spider-Man comic sells for $1.1 mln Cathay Pacific orders 27 Airbus and Boeing planes More Most Viewed » More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Thursday, 10 March 2011
Veteran US shuttle ends historic spaceflight career
Wall Street tycoon driven by greed: prosecutors
Carlos Slim tops Forbes' rich list, BRIC billionaires emerge |
Insurer Prudential eyes Asian growth after doubling profits
Libya: live report
Blast shuts down Iraq Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline: sources |
Nokia Siemens delays Motorola purchase
Iran aims to get to brink of nuclear arms: U.S. aide |
Nokia shares up after Symbian sales commitment
Bahraini Shi'ites protest against settling Sunnis |
Killing hardens opposition resolve in Yemen |
Men with rocks attack remnants of Cairo protest |
Saudi Shi'ites hold new protest in oil province |
Japan's new FM wants to deepen alliance with US
Asians, Latinos boost California population
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
NPR chief resigns amid controversy
Disappearing tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline
UNESCO plans museum for destroyed Afghan Buddhas
From the streets to the stage, Yemen finds its voice
Danube delta reed: new 'in' roofing for luxury homes
Amid revolution, Egyptian designer still makes it to Paris
German hints will return treasured sphinx to Turkey
CORRECTED
Call girls, wives check into Marc Jacob's 'Hotel Vuitton'
Pakistani stocks end up; rupee weakens; o/n rates flat
Microsoft sells 10 million Kinect devices |
Obamas take Facebook stand against bullying
Nokia Siemens delays Motorola purchase
Online travel sites seek to ground Google-ITA deal
Microblogs in China government's fight to win public approval
Nokia shares up after Symbian sales commitment
Lady Gaga may sue over breastmilk ice cream name |
NPR chief resigns amid controversy |
Mel Gibson reaches plea deal in domestic abuse case |
Spider-Man musical overhauled, delayed again-report |
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
Adele spends second week at #1 on Billboard albums chart with "21"
News Singapore
News Singapore
EU and NATO to meet on Libya after raging battles |
ElBaradei says he'll run for Egyptian president |
News Singapore
News Singapore
Dalai Lama plans to quit as Tibet political leader |
Yemen president vows new constitution within year |
Mexican gang members charged in U.S. consulate murders |
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts with greater fury |
News Singapore
China and Russia drive growth in world's billionaires |
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
Charlie Sheen sparks new era of cyber celebrity meltdowns |
Sony promotes Hirai, possible successor to CEO |
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
LG Display says in 3D panel supply talks with Sony |
News Singapore
U.S. nominates first Chinese American as ambassador to Beijing
Facebook puts six on Forbes billionaire list |
Screening for all air cargo bomb threats faces tough deadline
News Singapore
U.S. stocks, oil price retreat
Home WiFi gives 30 percent slower connection: study |
News Singapore
U.S. lawmakers ask Facebook to block third parties’ easy access
Illinois abolishes capital punishment, governor commutes 15 death sentences
Space shuttle Discovery makes its last landing
South Florida mayor arrested on corruption charges
News Singapore
Oldest wild bird in northern hemisphere raising chick
US asks China to stop enforced disappearances of human rights activists
US on track to double exports by 2014: Kirk
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
Charlie Sheen sparks new era of cyber celebrity meltdowns |
News Singapore
News Singapore
Julianne Moore to play Sarah Palin in HBO film |
Lawyers in Charlie Sheen fracas lay out strategies |
Broadway's Spider-Man delayed, revamped again |
News Singapore
No script, no worries: Men in Black 3 shoots anyway |
News Singapore
Bath & Body Works sues over Twilight toiletries |
News Singapore
Documentary suggests sky not falling after all |
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
News Singapore
Surge in Arab protests expected on Friday in Gulf |
Gulf states prepare aid fund for Oman and Bahrain |
India's Hyderabad shut down as thousands demand new state |
Iran forces kill three people in clashes in west |
Rival factions snub Hamas unity offer |
Nervous Saudis ponder whether to join protests |
No proof of drug industry sway on WHO in pandemic: report |
Angola stifling democracy protests: Human Rights Watch |
AOL to cut 20 percent of global workforce: source |
Facebook puts six on Forbes billionaire list |
Angry Birds creators Rovio raises $42 million |
Online game company Zynga to double India staff this year |
Samsung targets Nokia Symbian developers |
50 Cent joins Gaddafi performance regret club |
Deathly Hallows highest foreign earner of Potter series |
Book Talk: Diamonds inspire Tolkien grandson's novel |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01