Zizia Potters of Jordan
Jordan is a fascinating country by any metric, however the Zizia Pottery Factory, just off the main highway headed south towards Petra, is an example of a unique cultural and technological collision that levels up the fascination quotient. Here, mass production meets traditional methods of crafting large numbers of pots for a wide variety of uses. The sheer number of vessels that these talented craftsman create boggles the mind.
With just a handful of workers and a brutally efficient workflow the pots quickly go from formless clay to finely crafted vessel. They use their hands and feet to portion the clay and move it efficiently from clay plugs to the wheel for shaping. After drying the next step is a trip to the massive kilns to fire them.
The buildings are unassuming in their appearance, rising out of the desert like a sort of oasis, nearly camouflaged by the bricks on the roof and monotoned materials. One of the workers looked at me and suggested that American’s wouldn’t be able to do the work that they do, that the work is too hard and too manual. I can’t help but feel that there is some truth in the statement-the work ethic and skill of the potters is admirable and something we should all strive for in the things we make.
