Matta Makhoul

In his 70s, Matta Makhoul is one of the oldest and best-known basket weavers in the town of Kefraya, to the east of Sidon. His hand-woven baskets are made with a deft precision that comes with 50 years of practice

SIDON, Lebanon: Matta Makhoul sits in his yard for hours each day, carefully interlacing cane strips into baskets for his village’s farmers.

Basket weaving was once widely practiced across southern Lebanon, but knowledge of the craft is quickly disappearing. In his 70s, Makhoul is one of the oldest and best-known basket weavers in the town of Kefraya, to the east of Sidon. His hand-woven baskets are made with a deft precision that comes with 50 years of practice.

Makhoul learned the art of basket weaving from his father, who had been taught by his father before him.