Thai Muslim family keeps silk weaving heritage alive – by a thread

Much coveted: Natcha arranging handwoven silk fabric in her shop near the Darul Falah mosque in Bangkok. — AFP

Bangkok: Over the click-clack of the teak loom, Niphon’s family laments the lack of apprentice weavers at his Bangkok silk shop, as modernity lures young Muslims away from a trade their community has dominated for generations.

They say they are the last of the Muslim weavers of Baan Krua, a storied neighbourhood of dilapidated wooden houses and a mosque in downtown Bangkok, nearly engulfed by condos and skyscrapers.“This is Muslim heritage ... Baan Krua silk is very famous,” Niphon Manutha, 71, said.