Sweet making in Syria has been a lucrative business for years, but the six-year civil war has slowed production. However, the business has picked up again, and it is signaling hope for all those working in the industry.
Eid al-Fitr, a three day holiday celebrated in all Muslim countries, is marked at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. But for those who work in Damascus, this is their high season.
Syrian sweets can be divided into two main categories, the first is filled with cream and the other pistachio. These oriental sweets have become a trademark for Syria, and from little shops, sweet bites made their way around the world.
For many locals buying sweets has become a luxury that not many can afford, so exporting their products is the only way for tens of workshops and factories to make ends meet. Recent government gains including reopening a land route with Iraq, has made many optimistic that this industry could once again be on its way to prosperity.
CGTN’s Alaa Ebrahim reports that many bakers and sweet makers hope their trade will outlive the war and economic sanctions imposed on their country and that they will pass it on to future generations.