Haidar has been a potter for 60 years but says his profession is fading

Variety 12:02 PM - 2021-04-03

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‌Pottery is considered an art, potters use their artistic talents to create pots, dishes, mugs, vases, and other types of artwork. Most potters create functional pieces that are meant to be put to everyday use and Haidar Kamal, who is a Kurdish resident of Kirkuk, spends his days making pottery and strives to keep the profession alive.

 

He says that has started to work with mud ever since he was a child. He used to work at his father's workshop who inherited the profession from his grandfathers. 

 

Although this type of handicraft was used a lot in the past but nowadays, they are used much less. The profession is on the brink of extinction as pottery is mostly used as decoration ornaments. 

 

Talking about his profession, Usta Haidar told PUKmedia: "It is a difficult job but I never get tired of it and I love my job because I started when I was only 6."

 

Usta Haidar can make 50 - 60 crafts daily; he says: "We were in Khurmatu (One of the disputed areas covered by Article 140 of Iraqi constitution) in the past and most of the people of our village were pottery makers but nowadays only of them have remained on this profession."

 

Pottery is made by forming a ceramic (often clay) body into objects of a desired shape and heating them to high temperatures (600-1600 °C) in a bonfire, pit, or kiln and induces reactions that lead to permanent changes including increasing the strength and rigidity of the object.

 

 

 

PUKmedia