In rural Hasakah (northeastern Syria), social change is not only tied to shifting household tools or rising prices. It also extends to the daily details most closely connected to the rural home, including the traditional bedding and covers known locally as the “nadad” or “nadideh.”
This practice, which for decades was linked to hospitality, saving, and social pride, has in recent years seen a notable rise in sales and dismantling, signaling bigger changes in living patterns inside rural communities.
What was once considered an exception tied to need or hardship has become more visible in local markets. Rural residents are selling quilts, “dawashik” (mattresses), and pillows made of cotton or wool, often without even opening them or reusing their stuffing.
These materials are recycled through local traders who buy them at relatively low prices, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram of cotton, while wool sells at higher prices, between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds per kilogram.
Modern Style Imposes Itself
The “nadad” or “nadideh” is known as a set of household bedding that once formed an essential part of preparing homes in the Syrian Jazira. It includes quilts, “dawashik,” and pillows, and was stored in a special room known as the “dar al-nadad.”
This room was not merely a storage space. It was a symbolic area that reflected a family’s status through the number and quality of its bedding. It was also used to receive guests or even for sleeping in some cases when the house was crowded.
But this concept, according to residents, has gradually begun to lose its place. With the spread of foam mattresses and ready-made blankets, the need for traditional bedding has declined. Such bedding requires exhausting annual maintenance, including washing, drying, and restuffing, a process formerly known as “fal al-nadad.”
Sara al-Abdullah, 42, from eastern rural Hasakah, said selling old bedding has become a practical option amid changes in the lifestyle of the rural home.
She added, “We have mattresses and quilts that we have not used for years. They remained stored away, eaten by dampness and moths, and no one went back to them. When we needed their value, we sold them and bought foam blankets that are lighter and easier to use.”
She noted that the idea of keeping this bedding out of “readiness for guests” is no longer needed as it once was, explaining, “In the past, a guest was not considered properly honored unless he was given a mattress and a heavy quilt. Today, no one criticizes you if you lay out foam bedding for him. On the contrary, it has become more comfortable.”
A Burden Without Benefit
In northern rural Hasakah, Tarfa al-Khaled, 35, gave a similar account, but also linked the phenomenon to the burden of household labor.
Tarfa told Enab Baladi, “Every year, we used to open the nadad and wash it. It was a very tiring process and took days. Today, no one does that because there is no benefit. It is better to sell it and make use of its price.”
She added that some women have begun using the fabric from old quilts to resew what is known locally as “Gulf-style floor spreads,” converting them into light covers or multipurpose fabrics instead of keeping them in their traditional form.
She considered the change not only related to comfort, but also to a shift in society’s own view. “Owning a large ‘kash’ (a set of covers and bedding) no longer means the house is respectable or wealthy. This view has completely changed.”
Traditional Furniture Loses Its Symbolism
Sociologist Mahmoud al-Abd believes the sale of the “nadad” cannot be separated from the economic and cultural transformations rural areas in northeastern Syria have witnessed over the past decade.
The researcher told Enab Baladi that what is happening is a shift from a long-term household saving economy to an economy of rapid consumption. Traditional bedding once represented a family reserve and a social symbol, but today it has become a material burden.
He added that the changing concept of hospitality plays a central role in this transformation. “Traditional hospitality relied on preparing a full guest room, including the dar al-nadad. Today, this concept has shrunk in favor of more practical solutions, such as foam bedding or ready-made furniture.”
Al-Abd noted that this shift does not only mean tools have changed, but that the social structure itself has changed. “We are facing a transition from a society that linked social status to the number and quality of bedding items, to a society that measures comfort and practicality as a core value.”
Impact on Markets
In the city of Hasakah, owners of carpet and bedding shops observe this change directly through market activity.
Mohammad Khalil, the owner of a carpet and foam shop, said, “Around 10 years ago, demand was high for handmade mattresses and quilts or those stuffed with cotton. Today, this demand has clearly declined, and customers prefer foam or ready-made bedding.”
He added that even purchases linked to recycling have changed. “Some people used to come to sell old bedding, and we would buy it only to extract the cotton or wool from it and reuse it as stuffing. But this stopped years ago, and the stuffing was replaced with foam in the new Arab-style floor spreads.”
From Dar al-Nadad to Temporary Storage
In rural homes, the “dar al-nadad” was once a special room with social and symbolic significance. Bedding was displayed and carefully arranged there, and the room was sometimes used as a sitting area or for receiving guests. It was also an essential part of marriage preparations, as bedding was considered part of the dowry, and women took part in stuffing and sewing it before the wedding.
But this scene is gradually receding today, as storage rooms turn into simple spaces or disappear entirely in some modern homes, reflecting a change in the structure of the rural house itself.
A Small Economy Recycles the Nadad
Despite the social nature of the phenomenon, it has created a small local economy that depends on collecting old bedding and dismantling it. Cotton is reused as stuffing, wool in limited industries, and fabrics in sewing or resale.
But this economy, according to researcher Mahmoud al-Abd, remains limited and unorganized, depending on the price difference between buying by the kilogram and partial reuse.
Between Tradition and Necessity
Ultimately, selling the “nadad” does not appear to be merely an economic behavior tied to need. It is a direct reflection of broader transformations in rural Hasakah, where traditions linked to handmade bedding are retreating in favor of simpler tools that are faster to use.
While some see this as a natural development in lifestyle, others view it as the loss of part of the social memory tied to the rural home, where bedding was not merely a tool for sleeping, but part of an integrated social identity.
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