Olive oil soap has been produced in the West Bank for centuries, but today, only two soap factories remain. We filmed with the Nablus Soap Company in January.
At 86 years old, Giorgos Hatziparaskos is one of the last bakers in Greece making phyllo pastry by hand. With the help of his wife and son, he keeps the business going thanks to tourists visiting the Greek island of Crete. Giorgos Hatziparaskos Handmade Phyllo Workshop is located in the heart of old town in Rethymno.
Rogan art has been passed down in the Khatri family for eight generations. Now, with no tourists visiting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has slowed, and the survival of this centuries-old craft is under threat.
Salama Salem has been running his traditional dyehouse in Egypt since 1975. Despite falling demand due to industrial competition and the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s determined to keep one of the country’s oldest dyehouses still standing.
Authentic panama hats are handwoven in Ecuador. The craft has sustained weavers in the small village of Puzhio for over a century, but many are now dropping the tradition and leaving the country to find more lucrative work. The weavers that remain worry the tradition will disappear from Puzhio completely.
Leading up to the Hindu festival of Diwali, artisans across India produce clay oil lamps called diyas by the thousands. But profits are small and the tradition is under threat from imported alternatives and pollution concerns.
The dala horse is a centuries-old handicraft that has become the national symbol of Sweden. Generations of Swedish artisans at Nils Olsson Dalahästar have been making hand-carved wooden horses since 1928.
Arion Press is the last printing press in the US where books are handmade from start to finish. Using machines and techniques that date back to the 1800s, these books can take years to make and cost up to $10,000 to buy. Set against the tech hub backdrop of San Francisco, this institution helps keep the traditional craft of letterpress printing alive
Chiseling metal for an entire day is just one of the eight steps needed to make a piece of Bidri art. This craft has been carried on for centuries in one area of India, but with rising costs of raw material and a huge drop in sales during the pandemic, its future is murky.
Pergamena is the last workshop in the US that turns animal skins into parchment, an ancient paper-like material that nearly disappeared after the Middle Ages. CEO Jesse Meyer runs the family leather tannery business that has been in operation since 1550
Indigenous people in Zapotitlán have been hand-making salt here for over 2,000 years. Today, producers can’t make enough money to sustain themselves. Many have abandoned their salt lands, but one producer is determined to keep his business alive.
About 25 generations of one family have made roasted rice cakes at Ichimonjiya Wasuke in Kyoto, Japan. Worshippers praying for good health at the Shinto shrine next door eat them as part of their rituals. The shop started in 1001 AD as the area was suffering from epidemics, and now the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the business
Papyrus paper originated in ancient Egypt. Today, just one village still makes the paper, but after a year without tourists, workers are struggling to keep their doors open. Saied and Atef do not have websites for their businesses. They sell their products locally in Egypt
The art of making sacred candles has been passed down in Viviana Alávez's family for 300 years. The craft nearly disappeared from the Oaxacan village of Teotitlan del Valle in the 1980s, but Viviana kept it alive with her innovative designs and break from tradition
Over a century ago, Britain’s piano manufacturers used to be industrial giants, churning out thousands of instruments every year. But now only one factory remains. Adam Cox runs Cavendish Pianos in Yorkshire to keep this traditional art from disappearing completely
Feni is a rare liquor made from cashew fruit, and it's produced only in Goa, India. While some brands are pushing to take feni to the mainstream, this family has survived by hand making small batches and selling locally
Artisans in Toledo, Spain, have been famous for their fine steel swords since the 5th century BC. But mass-production and lack of demand as weapons are threatening the hand-forged sword industry. We visited the city's last few workshops keeping the traditional craft alive
Bagpipes have been a symbol of Scottish heritage for centuries, but traditional artisans have faced stiff competition with the rise of mass manufacturing. Kilberry Bagpipes is now the last workshop in the capital city of Edinburgh where they still make them by hand
Saied Hussain has been hand making tiles out of cement for over 50 years. He says he’s one of the last still doing this work in Egypt — most other workshops couldn't withstand competition from marble and ceramic tiles. We went to Cairo to see how his business is still standing
Lock & Co. Hatters in London has been designing and selling high quality hats since 1676. It has served celebrities and royalty throughout history, withstood a bombing in WWII, and now survived the Covid-19 pandemic which was the first time in history it had to close its doors
Indigenous Mayan women in Guatemala have passed down the tradition of weaving for over 2,000 years. But when a 36-year-long civil war in the late 20th century threatened Mayan culture, wearing traditional clothing became dangerous. In the 15 years following the war, groups of women have banded together to sustain themselves and their families through weaving. We visited a group in San Juan La Laguna to see how it is fighting to keep the craft alive.
Pottery is a traditional industry in Gaza, supported by families like Sabri Atallah's. But decades of armed conflict and political strife have put these artisans' livelihoods at risk. We visited Sabri Atallah & Sons Pottery Factory before, during, and after the May 2021 attacks to see how he is keeping the craft alive
We visited India’s perfume capital, Kannauj to see how craftsmen make "attar," or natural perfumes using a centuries-old steam distillation method.
Bone carving is an ancient art form popularized by royals in India around the 16th century. More recently, a shrinking market and scarcity of materials have pushed many carvers away from the craft. Jalaluddin Akhtar and his son Akheel are determined to keep the craft alive in Lucknow
Jadurberia village is the shuttlecock capital of India where workers have been making badminton birdies for generations. But the rise of mechanized assembly lines and the popularity of synthetic shuttlecocks are threatening to shut down small factories like the Niyogi family's Dodo Shuttles
Fez hats were once a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. But after they were banned in Egypt in the 1950s, fez shops largely disappeared. We visited one of the last shops in Cairo, where Nasser Abd El-Baset has been making fezzes for over 40 years
Cacao has been a spiritual symbol for Indigenous people in Central America for thousands of years. When the modern chocolate industry took over, much of the plant's sacred use was lost. Today, people in Guatemala are bringing back the ritual of drinking pure cacao.
Seven generations of one family have been making drums at Noble & Cooley since 1854. The Massachusetts company started off manufacturing toys, but is now known for their high-end snare drums made from a single plank of wood
Shotguns have been a traditional handicraft in India-controlled Kashmir for decades, but today the Zaroo Gun Factory is one of only two family-run workshops in Srinagar. Violence in the region and crackdowns on gun licenses have decimated the business, but the Zaroos are determined to keep the craft alive
In the days leading up to Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, families in Pomuch, Mexico, take their deceased relatives' skeletons out of their tombs for their annual cleaning. The ritual is said to originate with the Mayans, and today, only Catholics here practice it. The pandemic has kept people away from the cemetery for the past two years, and younger generations are unlikely to carry on the tradition for much longer.
Swat wood carving was once a thriving craft in Swat Valley in Pakistan. The artistry dates back 2,000 years to the Buddhist period of the Gandhara region. But many shops shut down when the Taliban occupied the region in 2007. The Mustaan family fled Swat and established a new store in Lahore
Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli has been making bells since the Middle Ages. Their instruments ring out from iconic places like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Vatican. The workshop has survived nearly 1,000 years of wars and hardship, but it’s a crisis of faith that is putting pressure on the business today
Paper factories in Sanganer, India still produce each sheet one by one. The industry has withstood colonization and foreign competition since papermaking communities first arrived in India around the 16th century. We went inside Kalpana Handmade Paper Industries to see how the craft is still standing
Craftsmen spend hours meticulously producing Ajrak by mapping out the pattern on thick, starched cotton fabric that holds its rigid shape. Despite cheap, machine-made copies flooding the market, Imran Soomro and his family are determined to keep the craft alive in Bhit Shah, Pakistan
Dong Ho is a traditional Vietnamese folk art. These paintings used to be a common part of home decor during each Vietnamese New Year. Today, just two family lines are left making this art in Dong Ho village
This three-generation family of potters follows the same methods from over 3,000 years ago. The terra-cotta art is traditionally made by the women of Sejnane. We visit Jomaa, Aljia, and Rim in Tunisia to see how their craft is still standing
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices in Europe hit an all-time high. But glassblowers in Murano have been shutting off their furnaces since last year, when Europe's ongoing gas crisis began. It all comes at a time when the trade is already struggling to bring in the next wave of artists to carry on the legacy of Venetian glass
Ukrainian’s Hutsul ethnic minority is keeping a century-old weaving tradition alive by using the same tools and techniques that their people have for generations. In war and in peace, they’re determined to keep their craft alive, and they sell their blankets on Etsy
Aranmula kannadi is a sacred mirror made only in the Indian town of Aranmula. The formula for the reflective alloy has been kept secret for centuries. Sudhammal J and her family work 10-hour days handcrafting these distortion-free mirrors, all to carry on a family legacy
For over sixty years, Sayed Al-Mataany has been using thousand-year-old, Ancient Egyptian methods to carve hieroglyphs into vases and sculptures — but major blows to Egypt’s tourism industry have caused a steady decline in the number of tourists coming to Luxor to buy his ornaments. We went to Luxor in Egypt to see how his business is still standing
It can take 4 years to make one batch of barrel-aged soy sauce. The natural fermentation process was the norm in Japan for centuries, but when industrialization swept the nation, almost all the country's wooden barrels were replaced with steel ones. Yasuo Yamamoto is on a mission to revive barrel-making and preserve the authentic version of Japan's staple seasoning
For centuries, Koreans have been using onggi to store and ferment foods. Jin-gyu Heo is the youngest of the 20 remaining master potters who make these earthenware pots. We visited Jin-gyu's workshop, in Ulsan, South Korea, to see how this ancient craft is Still Standing
Tanners at the Chouara Tannery have been transforming animal hides into leather since the 11th century. The tanning process has gone unchanged since then, but it relies on heavy chemicals that threaten the health of workers. Some say they are not willing to take that risk. We traveled to the world’s oldest leather tannery in Fez, Morocco, to find out how this ancient craft is still standing
Banarasi silk saris flourished in Varanasi, India since the 16th century. Weavers in the city are working to keep the tradition alive by weaving intricate designs with gold and silver zari threads on handlooms that are over 200 years old
Kushti is a traditional mud-wrestling sport in India with roots dating back 2,500 years. Wrestlers leave their hometowns as children to live and train at wrestling academies, called talims. The lifestyle is extremely disciplined: They wake up at 4 a.m. to train six days a week and rarely get the chance to see their families. We went inside the Gangavesh wrestling school in Kolhapur to follow one of the top fighters there, Mauli Jamdade, to see what it takes to be a mud wrestler
One sheet of traditional Vietnamese dó paper can last 800 years. Only a few families in Bac Ninh province still put in the weeks it takes to transform a piece of bark into a single sheet. But industrialized paper mills have brought this craft to the brink of extinction. So how is this centuries-old craft still standing?
Artisans in Multan in Pakistan are famous for making camel skin lamps using a naqashi painting technique that goes back 900 years. In 1910, Ustad Abdullah Naqash started doing naqashi art on camel skin. Today, his grandson, Malik Abdul Rehman Naqash, is keeping the tradition going
Women in Ghana have been turning shea nuts into butter for centuries. People across Africa have used it for skin and hair care, food, and medicine for at least 700 years. But for the past four decades, men have been cutting down the very tree that provides livelihood to many families. We traveled to Ghana to find out how despite the challenges, this group of women artisans is Still Standing
Jukkit Suksawa is a Thai artist who has been creating traditional mother-of-pearl inlay for the past 30 years. He is determined to keep this 14th-century ancient tradition alive by doing every step the traditional way. His pieces feature Thai motifs like the lotus flower
Dhokra art is one of the world’s oldest art forms. The metal-casting craft has been practiced by tribal families throughout India for 4,500 years. But following an economic reform in 2016 and the rising cost of raw materials, the future of this craft may be in jeopardy
In Cambodia, golden silkworms spin cocoons that are turned into textiles worth upwards of $10,000. The ancient art form was nearly lost during the deadly Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s — but one woman is working to preserve the legacy
Prateep Rodpai has been handcrafting Khon masks for over 40 years. Performers wear them in Khon, a traditional Thai dance that's been practiced for 600 years. The art nearly disappeared during the Digital Age, but it faced its biggest challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic
Indigenous women in Mexico still make mole sauce using ancient tools like the metate grinding stone. We visit chef Evangelina Aquino Luis of Nana Vira in Oaxaca to see how she makes her chichilo mole for funerals
The Sitarmakers of Miraj in India have been crafting musical instruments out of pumpkins for almost 200 years. They are known for making the tanpura, a string instrument used by classical singers to find the perfect tone. The family gained a reputation for high-quality handmade instruments over seven generations. But now, cheaper electronic ones are threatening their business
Balinese palung salt is made by harvesting seawater from Bali's beaches and evaporating the water using coconut tree trunks. We visited Kusamba village in Bali to see how a community of coastal farmers are preserving their ancient salt-making methods
Women of the Rajbanshi tribe in West Bengal, India, have been weaving jute into mats, bags, and other products for generations. Many depend on the craft to make their livelihoods. But mass-produced mats are flooding the market and threatening to put them out of business
Hirakawa Yasuhiro is a master blacksmith for Sasuke in Sakai, Japan, who forges scissors with techniques that were used to make swords, knives, and weapons. Japanese-style gardeners like Yoshikawa Masakazu are willing to wait a year to get their hands on a pair of scissors that’s perfect for maintaining bonsai trees
From mole ground with a traditional tool in Mexico, to metal art forged with ancient wax-casting techniques in India, and shea butter made by women artisans in Ghana, we got an inside look at businesses around the globe to see how their centuries-old traditions are still standing
A traditional dyehouse, Fez hats and a thousand-year-old ancient hieroglyphs carving method have nearly disappeared in Egypt in recent decades. But five artisans are determined to keep their traditions alive. Here’s how they do it.
These salt-making techniques are among the rarest — and oldest — in the world. We visited four countries to see how some of the oldest salt-making methods have survived for centuries. We saw pink Himalayan salt made in Pakistan, and palung salt made in Indonesia with volcanic sand, and purple bamboo salt made in South Korea.
M&S Schmalberg is the last factory handcrafting custom fabric flowers in New York’s historic garment district. The family business has designed flowers for celebrities and designers since 1916. But competition from overseas flower manufacturers has made it difficult to stay afloat.
Kurozu is Japanese black vinegar made using a 200-year-old technique of naturally fermenting ingredients outdoors in giant clay pots. It takes at least a year until it’s complete, with some of the best batches aging from three to five years. Sakamoto Kurozu is one of eight vinegar makers that haven’t changed the process.
Natural dyes from kola nuts and indigo have been used to make tie-dye in Gambia for generations. But more and more artisans have been replacing these traditional ingredients with imported chemical dyes. Today, Musa Jaiteh is the last artisan in his town in Gambia still using only natural dyes and traditional techniques.
Li-Lac Chocolates is Manhattan’s oldest chocolate shop, having survived decades of change in New York City. Since Li-Lac opened in 1923, owners have stuck to the founder’s original chocolate recipes while adding new confections along the way. Today, Li-Lac makes its legendary fudge, butter crunch, and truffles, as well as over 1,000 specialty molds for occasions like Easter and Thanksgiving. The company has six locations in New York City, with all of its ingredients made inside its Brooklyn factory.
Parchment is one of the most durable writing materials in the world. The ancient paperlike material was invented more than 2,000 years ago in Turkey but almost went extinct after the Middle Ages. At 92, İsmail Araç is one of the last artisans in the world still making it by hand.
Kameyakiyonaga is a confectionery shop in Kyoto, Japan that has been making sweets since 1617. Today, it's run by the 17th-generation owner, Maegawa Kiyoaki. The shop specializes in kyogashi, a type of wagashi only made in Japan's ancient capital, Kyoto.
For generations, farmers in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir have been selling their crops on the Dal Lake in a floating market. The lake is an economic hub for people living there – with many working in agriculture, fishing, and tourism. But decades of pollution have threatened their livelihoods.
From shoveling salt mounds under the Mexican sun, to scraping every last hair off a goatskin, we got an inside look at the people keeping age-old traditions and businesses alive around the globe. Whether they are protecting traditional methods threatened by modernization, or running centuries-old family businesses that have adapted to a changing world, we set out to find how and why they are still standing
From pouring cement tile designs freehand, to crushing fruit and distilling it into liquor, we visited family businesses and artisans around the world to see how their centuries-old trades and traditions are still standing
From India's handmade paper and sacred metal mirrors, to Japan's soy sauce fermented in 100-year-old barrels, we got an inside look at centuries-old traditions around the globe to see how they're still standing
Paper making is one of the oldest crafts in the world. We visited five countries to see how artisans in different cultures are preserving the craft and making sure it is still standing
From super thin, layered phyllo dough in Greece, to a 1,000-year-old roasted rice cakes tradition in Japan, to a rare cashew liquor made only in India. We will take you on a tour of five of the world’s culinary gems - to see how their centuries-old traditions are Still Standing