Hebron has been a centre of glassblowing since at least the medieval period, and the craft survives in several workshops near the old city. The tradition produces hand-blown glass in deep cobalt blue, turquoise, and amber — colours that come from metal oxides added to the molten mix. The process is essentially unchanged from centuries ago: a craftsman gathers a blob of molten glass on a long iron pipe, blows to form a bubble, and shapes it by rotating and swinging while still hot.
Several workshops in the Bab al-Zawiyah neighbourhood accept visitors. Watching a glassblower work is genuinely impressive — the speed and physicality of turning a glowing orange mass into a finished vase or bottle is theatrical. Items produced here are sold throughout the Palestinian territories and exported internationally. Buying directly from a Hebron workshop supports a craft industry that has survived despite severe economic pressures on the city.