Preserving Our Heritage for the Future

At Majal Design School, we believe that Lebanon’s artisanal traditions are more than heritage to be preserved. They are part of our economic history, our cultural identity and, importantly, our future. Contemporary Lebanon was shaped in large part by artisanal production, particularly textiles, which played a major role in the country’s economic development. Today, as Lebanon struggles with unemployment, economic instability and the loss of local industries, we believe that making, designing and producing can once again create opportunities.

This is why, as Lebanon’s only design school offering a Jewelry Design Certificate and the first to offer a Textile Design Certificate, we advocate the preservation of artisanship and we apply what we preach. We research and document endangered traditions, as we have done with our work on tarq. We teach and revive traditional techniques through classes, training and workshops, adapting them to contemporary design and today’s markets. We connect artisans with designers, promoting opportunities for ancient skills to remain viable. 

But our commitment to handwork goes beyond Lebanon. We are entering a world of artificial intelligence and increasing distance from the physical, real world. We are learning to converse with machines while becoming less connected to the things we can touch, make and repair with our own hands. Artisanship brings us back to the real. It grounds us in materials, skills, time and human connection. We believe handwork will matter more in the future, not less. This is why we are committed to preserving it, teaching it, developing it and giving it a place in contemporary Lebanon. We invite you to join us.

Our Initiatives

View more