The King of Beit Chebab - FAWZI FAKHOURY

It was like being in the presence of a King. Fawzi was a strong and humble man with the eyes of wisdom only the last of a generation of can posses. Today died with Fawzi the Roman Empire's way of making Amphora which had been passed down from generation to generation for 2,000 years. It's an ancient skill no one will ever posses again. Fawzi Fakhoury, The King of Beit Chebab, leaves behind a remarkable legacy and is a reminder that these ancient traditions should be preserved at all costs so art as a way of life can survive.

Archaeologists have been unearthing pottery as far back as 3,000 years of age in Southern Lebanon that ancient Phoenicians used to bury the remains of their dead in after cremation. The pottery dates to between 700 and 900 BC when Phoenician traders flourished on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Originating from what is now Lebanon, the Phoenicians were the early seafarers who spread their culture and their wine in amphora jars to other countries around the region.

The village of Bet Chabab is located at 30km from Beirut, Lebanon and was the last home to the survival of this ancient prosperous craft. Here, Fawzi Fakhouri, was the last remaining craftsman, who made pottery the Beit Chabab's way, the Roman way, a way unique in the entire world, that combined the use of the pottery wheel together with a natural clay roll and oven.

He created each amphora by hand, with a very difficult technique that involved hard manual labour and months of work. The King will be missed.