Deir ez-Zor- A spindle is mostly used by people being dependent on livestock to spin fibers such as wool, flax, hemp, cotton into yarn. It is an indispensable tool for women of the Middle East. Amsha Al Munif, who lives in a rural area of Deir ez-Zor in NE Syria, is now in her 50s and teaches her children and grandchildren how to spin wool into yarn.

A spindle is an indispensable tool for the nomadic Arab (Bedouin) women and has become a part of their daily life. It is also a part of traditional culture for them. After spinning wool of sheep, goat, and camel into yarn; they use the yarn to produce tents, bags, carpets, and rugs. Amsha Al Munif lives in a traditional Bedouin tent with her husband and five children in the village of Bahoz, where has been recently liberated from ISIS by the SDF.

This culture is preserved by women

Pointing to their tent, she told us that they had weaved the tent. “This tent keeps us warm in winter and cool in summer. Spinning wool into yarn by using a spindle is one of our cultures and women preserve this culture,” she said. Amsha Al Munif teaches this culture to her children now.

“Spinning wool into yarn is not easy”

“We cannot live in tents produced by factories. “Spinning wool into yarn is not easy but the tents made of yarn are healthy. They protect us from the cold in winter and the heat in summer. They are more durable than tents produced by factories,” said Amsha Al Munif, who has spun wool since her childhood.

Amsha Al Munif learned how to use a spindle by watching her mother. “We spin wool into yarn in winter because we have free time in winter. I taught this art to all my children in winter. They will teach this art to their children and grandchildren.”