GAZA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Salah Qudaih, a 40-year-old man from the southern Gaza Strip, was skillfully mixing straw, clay, sand, and water to create a traditional clay oven.
The father of five, who is based in the Abassan village in the east of Khan Younis city, told Xinhua that he makes the clay ovens to revive the forgotten heritage.
"We live in the age of civilization and urbanization, but both of them prevent us from enjoying a simple and normal life," he said.
The clay oven, a dome-shaped structure constructed out of clay and sand or clay and straw, is used for baking and roasting food. It has a brick floor and usually a chimney.
The most traditional clay ovens are built outdoors and sometimes are covered with a simple roof structure.
"Since I was a child, I have been making clay ovens. I learned it from my mother and grandmother, who were very professional," Qudaih said.
"I felt so happy when I succeeded in making my first-ever clay oven," he said, adding that at that time he was only nine years old.
The traditional clay oven represents a famous heritage for Palestinians, and families often build it inside their yards.
Qudaih said as Palestinians, "we should keep our traditional identity from disappearance even if we live in the civilization and urbanization age."
The man's passion for preserving the heritage also helps him earn money to raise the family.
"The Israeli blockade, which has been imposed on the Gaza Strip, forces us to be unemployed," he said, adding that he invests his talent in making traditional ovens.
Every day, Qudaih can make about five or six clay ovens, selling each of them at 20 to 30 U.S. dollars.
Affordable prices of Qudaih's ovens contribute to the rising number of his customers, including residents in cities.
"Rich people and urban dwellers also buy clay ovens from me, because they are beautiful and strong," he said.
Qudaih expressed his happiness because he managed to revive the forgotten heritage among the people in the Gaza Strip.
Village women usually gather to cook their food on clay ovens.
"Cooking on a traditional clay oven is wonderful; it is different, and it definitely tastes different," Najwa Mohammed told Xinhua while she was cooking on a clay oven.
The 43-year-old woman said cooking on the clay oven is one of their customs and traditions.
"I am happy that our little village is able to revive our traditional heritage once again," she added.
Qudaih said he hopes to establish his own factory to make more clay ovens and teach the coming generations how they can save their traditions.
