23 Oct 2010 / 09:11
Traditional craftsmen, largely silenced during the last 20 years of economic turbulence, are carving a new future for themselves in this ancient southern town.
Ardi Pulaj
In a tiny lane in the bazaar in the southern Albanian town of Gjirokastra, the sound of repeated hammering draws passers-by to a small shop.
Outside, stones are slowly being turned into pieces of art. The shop belongs to Murtezan Makriu who spends his days carving shapes and pictures in relief into the rocks.
Stones are symbols of Gjirokastra. The famous Albanian writer Ismail Kadare, in his book Chronicle in Stone, describes Gjirokastra thus: “Everything in the city was old and made of stone, from the streets and fountains to the roofs of the sprawling age-old houses covered with gray slates like gigantic scales.”
Like Makriu, other artisans are recreating traditional crafts in the town these days.
Under communism, craftsmen were organised in handicraft cooperatives. A lot of their produce was exported to the West.
...............http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/artisans-restore-pride-in-albania-s-city-of-stone
balkan insight
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