In the narrow alleys of Old Mosul, once the proud heart of Iraq’s shoemaking industry, the workshops are coming alive again.

After years of conflict and destruction, artisans like 58-year-old Saad Abdul Aal are reviving a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years.

Shoemaking in Iraq, known as al-qandarjiya, flourished during the Abbasid Caliphate, when Baghdad was a global hub of trade and culture.

Generations of families devoted their lives to transforming rawhide into durable footwear, their skills handed down from master to apprentice.

Before the war, the capital city of Baghdad had more than 250 factories, while Mosul boasted over 50. Iraqi-made shoes were prized for their elegance and resilience – a symbol of national pride.

“Our work began more than 40 years ago,” says Abdul Aal, his hands quick and steady as he trims a piece of leather. “I learned the profession, fell in love with it, and never left it.”

That proud tradition nearly disappeared in 2014, when ISIL (ISIS) seized Mosul. Workshops and factories were bombed, looted, or abandoned.

Abdul Aal lost everything – his equipment, his shop, his workers. “Bombings, destruction,” he recalls. “There was no money even to consider starting again.”

After returning to Mosul, Abdul Aal found his workshop destroyed [File: International Organization for Migration]
By the end of the war, Mosul’s 50 factories had dwindled to fewer than 10. Thousands of shoemakers were left unemployed, their skills at risk of vanishing.

The turning point came with the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM’s) Enterprise Development Fund-Tameer, which provided grants and training to displaced entrepreneurs and returnees.

For Abdul Aal, this was an opportunity to buy sewing and pressing machines, reopen his workshop, and hire staff.

“It’s not easy, but little by little we are moving forward,” he says.

Today, Abdul Aal produces about four pairs of shoes a day – fewer than before, but enough to keep his business alive. Competition from cheap imports is fierce, but he insists Iraqi craftsmanship still has an edge.

“Our shoes are genuine leather; they last. Imported shoes may appear visually appealing, but they lack quality.

“In contrast, the shoes produced in my factory are visually similar to imported shoes but offer superior quality.

“That is what makes us proud.”