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| Keywords: Al-Afghani Co.png Uploaded with en wp UW marker 2012 08 17 Al-Afghani venture is a family story of creativity devotion and affinity to the oriental souvenirs gifts and handcrafts of the Holy Land We are the first family to deal with the perspective of oriental gifts in Hejaz 1862 in Jaffa 1870 in Salt 1948 and in Amman 1952 The story of Al Afghani began 83 years ago in the Palestinian port of Jaffa where three brothers - Mohammed Ahmad and Mahmoud Al Afghani - started their business selling antique souvenirs on handcarts according to Ahmad ™s son and one of the store ™s current owners Fouad Al Afghani During the 1920s Jaffa hosted many tourists since many ships from different countries came to the port he said They turned to this craft because foreigners had no idea about oriental antiques These souvenirs which represented the heritage of Palestine became popular among tourists who would buy them whenever they came to the port After a while as demand soared among tourists the Afghani brothers ™ business boomed and they set up their first shop in their hometown They did a good job there and became popular among tourists 62-year-old Fouad told The Jordan Times According to Afghani Palestine ™s volatile history during the 1930s and 1940s endangered the existence of the shop which was burned down in 1937 and again in 1943 during periods of instability During the 1948-1949 war when many Palestinians were forced to leave their homes the Afghani family moved to Bethlehem where they stayed for a year before relocating to Salt on the advice of a family friend The Afghani brothers moved their business to Amman in the 1950s when their relative Ayoub Al Afghani encouraged them to sell goods in his shop in Souq Al Bukhariyah Ayoub advised them to build on their craft selling souvenirs in order to make a living So the three brothers started selling oriental artefacts in Ayoub ™s shop Afghani explained During the 1950s Afghani noted antique items were hard to find in Amman and the trade at the time was mostly limited to the traditional Jordanian dagger known as the khanjar or shibriya Afghani said his father and uncles started out selling the dagger along with various carpets and oriental antiques noting that in the old days the Ministry of Tourism allowed souvenir dealers to trade in antiquities before banning the practice in 1978 Before long he indicated the Afghani brothers ™ business started to flourish thanks in part to the large number of foreigners passing through Amman at the time and in 1956 they opened their own shop near Souq Al Bukhariyah on Quraish Street now King Talal Street Afghani said the street was the heart of downtown Amman and a prime location for business as many people came from different parts of the Kingdom to get water from the Roman Nymphaeum and the area drew many tourists because of its uniqueness At first Al Afghani catered primarily to foreign tourists as the shop ™s goods were too expensive for most Jordanians at the time he explained People thought these goods were designed only for tourists because of their high prices Later on they started buying them as presents whenever they went abroad Afghani added noting that silver jewellery and accessories were the most popular items among Jordanians Over the past half century many shops have followed in Al Afghani ™s footsteps and today according to Afghani there are 240 souvenir shops all over the Kingdom Unfortunately most of the stores sell oriental handicrafts that don ™t really represent the heritage of Jordan he noted Although his shop also carries a range of imported items Afghani said the true purpose of his family ™s business is to help preserve the traditional crafts of Jordan and present them to the world It ™s not a matter of business This shop embodies the history of our family and manifests the heritage of Jordan as well as the character of old Amman he said For a generation after another we found new facets of oriental gifts and developed innovative concepts of handcrafted souvenirs General Information Our treasure can tell his own history and the magic of the east every single piece got a a fairytale to tell and the others is to surf your needs this day and tomorrow https //fbcdn-sphotos-b-a akamaihd net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/156403_362100310512478_778114700_n jpg 1934 Al-Afghani Evidence The license statement can be found online at https //fbcdn-sphotos-b-a akamaihd net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/156403_362100310512478_778114700_n jpg Al-Afghani FAL Oriental Stories Jewellers Orientalism Antique shops Craft shops Gift shops Souvenir shops in Palestine Shops in palestine | ||||
