A dedicated group of craftsmen in the Gaza Strip continue to spin wool into handmade carpets. They're fighting to preserve the profession of their ancestors and wider Palestinian heritage from extinction as cheaper imported carpets from Turkey, Iran and China spread.

Weaving rugs and carpets is one of the oldest professions in Palestine. Excavation missions there have shown that weaving is one of the oldest crafts in the country. Spinning wheels and looms have been discovered to be 5,000 years old.

Haj Mahmoud al-Sawaf, 70, still weaves carpets in his shop in east Gaza City's Al-Tuffah neighborhood, where he sells traditional carpets and rugs. He told Al-Monitor, “My family has been practicing this profession for more than 400 years. I inherited it from my father, who inherited it from his forefathers. I have been working in carpet weaving for 60 years.”

He pointed out that before the 1970s, carpet makers would import sheep wool from Egypt to make the yarn used in carpets and rugs. “The imported wool would pass through several stages, including cleaning, carding and combing to turn the wool into yarn. The final stage is the dyeing stage, when the yarn is colored.” He went on, “But after the 1970s, craftsmen imported ready-made yarn from Europe, in various colors.”