By Zaid Sabah, USA TODAY
\nBAGHDAD \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Ahmed Abdel Khaliq arranges the palm furniture in his shop yet again, waiting for customers who rarely appear.
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\nFurniture made from cane and palm fronds is one of Iraq’s oldest traditions. Iraqis bought the rattan-style furniture for their homes and gardens. “Wealthy families were our main customers,” says Khaliq, 22.<\/p>\n
INDEX:\u00c2\u00a0 Life in Iraq<\/p>\n
Today, Iraqis can choose from an endless selection of imported factory-made wood or plastic garden furniture. Few people bother with the more expensive locally made palm furniture.<\/p>\n
Khaliq’s family started the shop in the early 1980s. “All our stuff is handmade,” Khaliq says. “We also provided wedding parties with palm decorations and participated in international exhibitions to show the world our traditions,” he says. His shop also sells baskets and mats.<\/p>\n
During its prewar peak, his family’s shop earned about $100 in profit on furniture sales per day. Today, the shop barely squeaks by on $5 per day, he says. Many wealthy families have left, and the end of United Nations-imposed sanctions has meant an influx of inexpensive plastic furniture for home and garden. “It’s cheaper than the palm furniture and isn’t hurt by weather,” he says.<\/p>\n
Khaliq says business is also off because fewer people want to sit outside. “People avoid (sitting outside) because of the random bullets falling down at any moment,” he says. “Even tea house customers stopped sitting outside.”<\/p>\n
In the Shorja wholesale market, Salman al-Kaabi says demand for plastic furniture is increasing dramatically. “My business is getting better by the day,” he says. Al-Kaabi sells at least four plastic tables and 16 chairs every business day.<\/p>\n
“It was very expensive before so we could not buy it,” says Wassan Rahim, a 43-year-old housewife who was buying a plastic table and four chairs for her kitchen.<\/p>\n
“It’s nicer than the palm furniture, it’s cheaper and I can put them anywhere in my house,” she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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