It is the artisanal craft of blowing glass objects with locally available materials in Damascus.
It requires specific skills, knowledge, and equipment, such as ovens. Red clay bricks are used to build the ovens, which are built by craftsmen using age-old techniques and traditions. Bricks tend to crystallize or wear down, after 3-6 months, so the ovens must be 'refurbished' regularly with new bricks as they lose their temperature-retaining ability. Traditional Damascene glass blowing is notable for its white, blue, green, and crimson colors, along with its gold motifs. The inconsistency of shapes and colors of a handmade piece can easily distinguish it from a manufactured or semi-manufactured piece. Each piece represents the artist's creativity and individuality.
In addition to the non-formal intergenerational learning, the craftsmen pass on their knowledge & skills through direct teaching from their elders, who themselves mastered the craft. Currently, a limited amount of knowledge & skills is also directly transmitted to students by teachers & professors at technical institutes & high schools.
Up until recently, the transmission of the element was largely carried out through non-formal means by practitioners. To pass on their knowledge and skills, practitioners turned to their close circles and families. In addition to this ICH element, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many other ICH elements. It was not only a matter of concern for practitioners' health and safety due to their advancing age. However, the precautionary measures taken to protect them isolated them from their natural community, visitors, buyers, and even the associations, media outlets, and NGOs that could contribute to their support.
Practitioners have demonstrated an obvious commitment to the safeguarding of the element by continuing to practice despite extremely challenging conditions during previous years. Following an awareness of the threats facing the element, practitioners actively engaged with media outlets to discuss the issue. The issue became widely publicized and mobilized a number of government departments and cultural NGOs. Moreover, the state provided practitioners with fuel subsidiaries, which made operating their ovens very affordable. As part of its domestic promotion, the Syrian State incorporated the element into a number of festivals. Dummar Incubator for Crafts was founded by the Union in 2020 in order to serve as a meeting place for practitioners of various crafts. The Union established a glassblowing house in Abkhazia in 2021. Glassblowing was frequently featured on the Ministry of Information's TV show Al-Aydi al-Mahira ('Skilled Hands') until 2020 when COVID-19 challenges forced the program to be suspended.