Levant States under French mandate - Expo Paris 1937
The building on the left was used for the craft section.
In the souks were installed workers of the main arts and crafts: copper beaters, jewellers, leather workers, etc...
The building on the right bank was converted into a museum of handicrafts.
Since ancient times, the people of these regions have been renowned as craftsmen. It is well known how famous were the Phoenician glassworks, the lamé fabrics of Aleppo and the weapons of Damascus.
The museum, which presented a set of specimens of ancient or medieval art and modern art, was completed by a tourism room showing, thanks to ingeniously arranged photographic sets and cinematographic projections, the splendour of Syrian or Lebanese sites.
On the right bank, one could notice a gigantic wheel; this "noria" (paddle wheel) evoked the fragrant gardens of the Orontes.
Copyright By Société pour le Développement du Tourisme