Basra man preserves traditional tool for climbing date palms

BASRA — In the orchards of Abu al-Khasib, where Barhi dates are grown, many farmers still climb palm trees using a traditional tool called the farod rather than ladders. The handmade belt secures the farmer to the trunk, allowing him to scale the tree to reach fruit clusters.

Haj Shihab al-Tamimi has carried on the craft of making the farod, a skill he inherited from his father in the 1980s after years of observing and assisting in the family workshop. Despite shrinking farmland, water salinity, and the spread of housing over orchards that have reduced demand, he continues to make the tool by hand.

“I learned how to make the farod from my father in the 1980s after years of watching him and helping with simple tasks in the workshop,” al-Tamimi told 964media. “The farod consists of four parts: the waist strap, the shoulder strap, the rope, and the arm support. I make all of these parts by hand except for the rope, and that’s what keeps it different from modern machines and makes it last for many years.”

He said sales once peaked during pollination and harvesting seasons but have since fallen sharply. “In the past, peak sales were during the pollination and harvesting seasons, but today the craft has declined a lot because of water salinity, shrinking farmland, and the spread of housing units over orchards,” he said.

The craft has also evolved. “In the 1980s we used synthetic, imported fabric, and palm fiber in making it. Despite the decline in production, the prices are still affordable, sold wholesale at rates most farmers know,” he said.

Al-Tamimi’s children have learned the craft but have not pursued it. “My sons know the secrets of the profession, but they are not practicing it now because they are busy with studies and jobs,” he said. “Still, I insist on continuing because this is a profession that people in Basra and all governorates know us by.”