The Naffah family has produced church bells in Beit Chabab, Lebanon, for 300 years. Naffah Naffah, the current 57-year-old master bell-maker, continues this tradition at the family workshop. "We have to pass it down to our kids, it’s been 300 years," Naffah Naffah said. "I didn’t have any choice. My own father, he would come to the workshop when he could barely even walk."
Maintaining this heritage remains an emotional process for the craftsman. "Look at this bell, it’s the work of my two hands. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it," he remarked. "I hate giving the bells away, it always makes me upset, like I’m giving away a child."
The commitment required to sustain this family legacy is evident in the daily operations of the workshop. Naffah Naffah manages the daily labor required to keep the tradition alive, ensuring that the methods handed down through the generations are preserved with precision. The workshop serves as both a place of business and a repository for the techniques that have defined the family’s identity for three centuries.
Three Centuries of Craftsmanship
Historical records confirm the longevity of the family's trade through physical evidence preserved in the region. The earliest surviving bell bearing the Naffah name dates to 1725. This artifact currently rests in Qalaat Sahyoun. Its existence serves as a marker for the Naffah family's long-standing presence in the craft of bell-making. Other pieces produced by the workshop have since traveled far from the village of Beit Chabab, but this specific bell remains a primary link to the origins of their work in the eighteenth century. The longevity of the object illustrates the durability of the casting techniques employed by generations of Naffah craftsmen.
This legacy is not merely a matter of historical record but a living practice. The Naffah family has been making church bells in Beit Chabab, Lebanon, for 300 years, an achievement that requires constant attention to the specific requirements of the craft. Each piece produced in the workshop must meet the high standards established by the ancestors of Naffah Naffah, who remains the current master bell-maker at 57 years old.
The Intricate Casting Process
The Naffah workshop produces approximately 25 bells per year. Each individual bell requires about two months to complete as the artisans navigate the various stages of the traditional casting process.
This production timeline is essential to the quality of the final product. Every bell undergoes a rigorous sequence of preparation, molding, and cooling, which accounts for the two-month duration required to finish a single unit. During this period, the artisans focus on the specific acoustic and structural properties of the metal, ensuring that each bell meets the expectations of its future location.
Financial requirements for the finished products are determined by weight. The cost of a bell is $8,000 per 100kg (220lbs). Based on this pricing structure, a medium-size bell weighing about one tonne costs approximately $80,000. These figures reflect the labor-intensive nature of the work, which remains a cornerstone of the workshop’s operations in Beit Chabab.
