Shafaq News- Babil
With the Islamic month of Muharram drawing near, theBlacksmiths' Market —known locally as Souq al-Haddadin— in the city of Hilla ofBabil Province has entered its busiest season, with workshops and shops workingto meet demand for Husseini procession supplies, sustaining a craft traditiontied to Shia religious observance for generations.
Among the market's oldest practitioners is Safial-Mousawi, known as Abu Nasr, 72, who has spent more than four decadescrafting swords and ceremonial staffs known as qamat. His workshop representsone of the most enduring examples of a trade that has defined Hilla's artisanalidentity and its relationship to religious ceremony.
Across the market, production of dammam drums,ceremonial banners, and zanjeer chains —instruments used in some Husseiniprocessions— is running at full pace alongside supplies of cooking materialsand ceremonial garments used in the rituals.
Several shop owners told Shafaq News that increasedcompetition from cheaper foreign products has reduced demand for handmade localitems in recent years, with price remaining the primary factor driving buyerstoward imports.
Local craftsmanship retains a loyal customer basenonetheless. Many buyers continue to seek out Hilla-made goods for theirdurability and for the traditional character long associated with Souqal-Haddadin, qualities that imported alternatives have not displaced.
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