From thread to braids in green, red, yellow 

In a small corner of her home in the city of Qamishlo, Siham Suleiman, the mother of martyr Anas, sits holding her threads and weaving a braided headscarf. Between her fingers, bracelets have become stories, and her presence in every public gathering has become a message woven with thread and color, carried to everyone who believes in identity and belonging. 

Three years ago, Siham began making bracelets in green, red and yellow. She gives them to the families of martyrs during commemorations and special occasions as an expression of appreciation and belonging. 

Over time, her idea expanded and her dream grew. She added colored beads, tassels and brass ornaments to her work. Her products developed from bracelets to necklaces, then to belts for traditional Kurdish folk clothing and braided headscarves, making every piece a story woven with the threads of identity and heritage. 

Siham says: "I started this work out of love for heritage, and it also provides part of my family's livelihood. Despite my illness, I continue working with all my strength, because our colors must remain alive and accessible to everyone. They are part of our occasions and celebrations, especially Newroz." 

Siham is known as "the first to arrive and the last to leave." She is rarely absent from a festival, solidarity gathering or public event, always making sure to be in the front rows. She wears Kurdish traditional clothing in different colors at every occasion and leads the women's dabke circle, holding the hands of women who share her joy and identity. Her colorful braids hang over her forehead and waist, while her voice leads everyone in singing Kurdish songs, as if her presence were an extension of the message she weaves with her threads every day. 

"From Thread to Soul" 

Siham does not add beads, tassels and ornaments to her work merely for decoration, but to give each piece a unique character bearing her personal touch. She says: "Mothers place the work of my hands on their heads, and beneath these colors, thousands of our sons and daughters were martyred." 

For her, the craft has gone beyond being a source of income to become a stance in life. She adds: "I refused to surrender and carried the responsibility on my shoulders. I want to work with my own hands and teach my children, rather than remain without work." 

Siham begins her work by buying colored threads from the market, then weaves each braid according to the required thickness. She uses 15 threads for a thick bracelet and 10 threads for a thin bracelet, depending on customers' preferences and choices. She continues working every day, until this craft has become part of the details of her life. 

Siham's products are present at every event, as she takes them with her to display and sell them, while also presenting part of her heritage to visitors. The prices of her pieces start at 5,000 Syrian pounds and reach 75,000, depending on the length and thickness of the piece and the details and decorations added to it. 

Her work has not stopped at threads and braids. Siham has also ventured into the world of art, entering the field of acting and starring in six feature films, in which she portrayed the stories of women from Tal Tamr, Shengal and Jazaa. She also appeared in a music video titled "VÊ CARÊ RAST E", adding another space to her career for expressing issues related to women, identity and heritage. 

A-H 

ANHA