Jezzine, is a city located in the South of Lebanon, famous for its beautiful residences, its old churches, its waterfall over 40 m high and its crafts. Its entrance is overlooked by a large statue of the virgin at the edge of a cliff named Saydit el Maabour , (Notre-Dame du Passage).
Once in Jezzine, it is advisable to visit one of the artisan cutlery shops. The tradition of this craft dates back to the 18th century, more precisely to the 1770s, with the Haddad family. Initially, swords and gun shafts were made from bones or horns. It was not until the 20th century, from the 1930s, that artisans started to work in cutlery and table services.
La particularité de la coutellerie de Jezzine ne tient pas seulement à la qualité de sa lame, qui n’est certes pas à contester, mais bien au manche de ces ustensiles. En forme de tête de phénix, l’oiseau légendaire de la mythologie phénicienne, les manches sont façonnés dans de l’ivoire ou bien dans de la corne de mouton, buffle, ou chèvre. Cet artisanat avait tellement bien prospéré à Jezzine, que plusieurs familles se sont mises à la production de coutellerie éponyme de leur ville natale, qui finit par devenir un précieux présent offert par les autorités libanaises aux sommités et aux chefs d’Etat.
However, this art is regressing … It is no longer made according to tradition, in ivory or horn, but based on a mixture of resin or bone powder. This would no longer differentiate this traditional craft, originally carved from raw materials, from any industrial set of any origin. Hoping for better days for the proper Lebanese craftsmanship, we leave you with this example of Jezzine knives.
