Damascus: Woven Tray Makers

Arabic: Aṭbāqiyyīn

Date: Twelfth-sixteenth centuries

These artisans made large round willow trays or flat baskets (sing. ṭābaq), out of rushes, which were used for serving fruit. The name used for these trays derived from the iron plates used for baking bread and roasting meat. They had a market in the Kushk quarter of the city. Information is drawn from the work of Ibn ʿAsakir (d. 1176), al-Nuʿaymi (d. 1521), al-Hadi (d. 1503), and al-Almawi (d. 1573). See also: Weavers, Basket Makers.

Citation: Elisséeff, Nikita. “Corporations de Damas sous Nūr al-Dīn: Matériaux pour une topographie économique de Damas au XIIe siècle”, Arabica 3.1 (1956): p. 66.