Marble workshop in Hit carves out market with local production, imported quartz

HIT — A marble and quartz workshop in the western Anbar city of Hit is helping meet the region’s growing demand for home finishing materials, offering a local alternative to supplies from Baghdad and Erbil.

Founded in 2017, Alam Al-Marmar — Arabic for “World of Marble” — is the only workshop of its kind in western Anbar. The facility produces artificial marble surfaces onsite and cuts imported quartz slabs to order, using fully automated equipment and a team of local workers.

“We established Alam Al-Marmar in 2017 after displacement,” said workshop owner Osama Saddam, who learned the trade while living in Turkey. “In the beginning, we struggled because it was something new to the city.”

Saddam said the business started small but expanded as local tastes shifted toward marble and granite. “We introduced the craft with guarantees for the materials used,” he said.

Artificial marble is manufactured on site from raw materials, while quartz — imported from Turkey and China — arrives in slabs and is shaped using a dedicated cutting machine. “My workshop is the only one in Hit and western Anbar, but there are others in the east,” Saddam said.

With reconstruction efforts increasing across Anbar, demand for finishing materials is rising. “The situation is improving,” Saddam said. “During these months, demand rises as people begin building during the holidays.”

Saddam said pricing at the workshop is competitive with, and sometimes cheaper than, rates in the capital. A standard 1.5-meter slab of artificial marble costs between 75,000 and 80,000 Iraqi dinars ($53 to $57), while quartz pieces — being natural and imported — cost more.

“The price of artificial marble depends on the raw materials, which are petroleum-based and fluctuate with oil prices,” he said.

The workshop offers customized sinks and countertops. Clients choose the material and color, and the pieces go through several production stages, including spraying, casting, cutting, and polishing. Prices range from around $50 for artificial marble to $100 for natural quartz finishes.

“We export to multiple areas in Anbar, including Qaim, Haditha, and the districts around Hit,” Saddam said.

Local businesses say the workshop has saved time and money. “Before, we had to travel to Baghdad or Erbil,” said Bahjat Abdulwahid, who owns an aluminum workshop. “Osama’s workshop has helped the entire western region.”

Walid Ismail, a customer, said the service was highly personalized. “A friend recommended the workshop, and Osama provided great service. He designed the sink and countertop exactly as I wanted.”