Mosul’s leather shoe industry slowly revives after years of conflict

MOSUL — The once-thriving leather shoe industry in Mosul is showing signs of a slow but steady revival, years after being decimated by war and economic turmoil. Once home to around 250 factories in the 1990s, the city now has just five active producers, most serving local markets with some demand from other governorates.

Saad Abdul Aal, owner of the Saad factory, told 964media that locally made leather shoes still have an edge over imports in both durability and cost. “They last from two to three years, which helps keep the industry alive,” he said, adding that pairs sell for between 12,000 and 15,000 dinars (about $8 to $10).

The factories now rely on imported cowhide leather from Turkey, Syria, and Iran, a shift from earlier decades when local hides and manual tools were standard. “Our production used to be exported to Iraqi governorates, Turkey, and Syria, but we stopped due to the conflicts,” Abdul Aal said.

The manufacturing process involves multiple steps — cutting, stitching, molding, dyeing, and packaging — with much of the work now aided by machinery. “Seventy-five percent of the process now depends on machines,” said Abdul Mawjood Younis, a shoemaker at Al-Raw’a factory with 63 years of experience. “It used to be entirely manual and much harder.”

Omar Waleed, also from Al-Raw’a, described the process as starting on the ground floor and finishing the next day. “The leather we use is imported cowhide,” he said, noting that many customers still prefer their products for their strength and longevity.