Aghabani Table Cloths:

The name Aghabani is said to come from the original saffron coloured embroidery as well as the type of stitch used. In the past both the material and embroidery thread were made of silk, however to accommodate practicality and affordability, the silk material & thread was replaced with 100% cotton and man-made silk thread for the material and embroidery. There are many names for the various Aghabani designs such as 'Joklan', 'Zaher', 'Al-Ghareeb', 'Wardat Al Subeeya', Al-Fole', Hab Al-Bondok', 'Hab Al-Snobar'to.

All the designs come from surrounding flora in the region. Some experts believe that Aghabani production started in Homs and then moved to Damascus due to lack of demand and workers, others say that Aghabani production originated in Damascus.

Known for its versatility, the damascene artisans took Aghabani embroidery and expanded its use to all sorts of textile goods including clothing and tablecloths. Today the embroidery and manufacturing of Aghabani textile goods are made in Douma and Harasta (2 small towns outside of Damascus ). The designs are printed on material and filled with embroidery of different coloured threads. Because each seamstress has his or her way of completing the embroidery it is hard to get 2 pieces the same.

There are 2 types of Aghabani Tablecloths; 'rash' which is a lightly embroidered tablecloth and 'talis' which is a more heavily embroidered table cloth. The tablecloths are either made of white or cream material with white, gold and silver embroidery; and, come in a variety of size. The width of the tablecloths are 1.5 meters and start at 2 meters for a Table of 6 and moves up 0.50 cm for each table size. Aghabani tablecloths also come with a set of embroidered napkins. Source: www.damascenetreasures.ca