Our Story
Our story begins in 1940, when my great grand-father Antoun Stephan combined all the craftsmanship in his family and started his own workshop in the old and historical Souk Al Hamidiya in Damascus. He called it TONY E. STEPHAN ORIENTAL ARTS; he fabricated, displayed and sold authentic Syrian handicrafts.
Slowly, his business started growing and demand came flying in from neighbouring countries. Not only did he personally deliver thousands of products over the years, he also collected precious crafts from every country's cultural heritage.
In the 60's, his sons Elias & Freddy joined. Together, they transformed this cultural shop into a historic landmark that every tourist in Damascus stopped by such as former US president Jimmy Carter, Dalida, Gina Lollobrigada and many more.
Tourath (تراث) means Heritage in Arabic. Tourath Studio has for a mission to preserve the authentic Middle-Eastern craftsmanship heritage that is being terribly jeopardized and slowly disappearing. In order to maintain it, our strategy is to properly document and exhibit the Middle- Eastern crafting expertise, making it accessible and shared with all individuals around the world. Therefore, Tourath Studio is not only providing you with a chance of owning a remarkable and authentic craft, but it is also giving you the opportunity to understand the making of it and the culture behind it.
Our heritage is our identity, our heritage is our history and existence, our heritage is our past present and future.