Trāblos, or Tripoli, the city of three fragrant orange orchards earned recognition for many crafts and industries among which woodcraft dating back to the 1850’s.
Recalling a golden era
For more than a century, wood was a vital part of the city’s existence, a traditional art and main source of livelihood. People of this city breathed wood since birth, as their ancestors did before them. The city’s wood craftsmanship grew in fame and Tripoli became a regional hub for luxury and beautifully crafted furniture.
Following long years of war, this golden era ceased to exist. Tripoli’s woodcraft industry suered deeply from many ailments leading to decline and disregard.
The situation was worsened due to the emergence of low-cost imported furniture dominating the market. Something needed to be done!
How it started
Facing a crumbling industry and a massive drop in furniture manufacturing, the Private Sector Development (PSD) Program, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France with local and international partners, has identified an opportunity for a potential revival of the industry. Within this scope, Minjara was established.
Capturing the essence and unique know how of the furniture producers in Tripoli, Minjara positions itself as a furniture brand and a business support hub (the platform) for all the carpenters of Tripoli and a furniture brand.
Minjara, the furniture brand
The brand features the work of renowned furniture producers in Tripoli built on a solid foundation of heritage and modernity. Every piece of Minjara furniture undergoes strict control at every stage of production ensuring the best quality standards for customers.
Minjara, the platform
An old building within Rashid Karami International Fair in Tripoli, designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, has been selected to host the platform.
Spread over an area of 1500 square meters, the building was renovated whilst preserving its original architecture. It was furnished by Tripoli’s carpenters and fully equipped by Expertise France with modern machines. The platform was inaugurated on September 27, 2018 under the patronage of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The platform stands today as a networking and clustering space proposing a 360o package of services to support the furniture sector in Tripoli.
The platform:
• Offers a common place to work and connect with carpenters, designers, consumers and professionals.
• Assists the carpenters in terms of guidance, education, training and sectoral governance.
• Facilitates product development catering to the market trends, starting with the selection of the raw materials through its material library (which gathers samples and technical specifications of key materials and inputs used in the furniture production), to the ideation and prototyping, to pre-production (testing the production of prototypes and optimizing production practices) and finally quality management (to guarantee high-quality products).
• Assists in product commercialization and market access.
MINJARA BRAND VALUES
RELIABILITY
We stand as professional and hardworking people delivering high quality furniture and committed to continuous improvement in our know how.
FLEXIBILITY
We are flexible and always open to new ideas. Looking for customized products or unique pieces designed by renowned furniture designers, we always have what you are looking for.
DIVERSITY
We are a cluster of many companies with diverse skills and expertise. Our strength comes from our diversity and collaborative community.
GENUINITY
We speak a language of honesty, sincerity and passion staying genuine to the heritage of our ancestors.
Crafting life into wood
Today, Minjara positions itself as an icon in the carpentry field offering a wide range of furniture, catering to the market trends and the different needs of local, regional and international clientele.
Minjara’s custom-made furniture
For those of you who prefer instilling their own sense of style in their personal spaces, Minjara has got you covered. Minjara’s customized pieces will feature your preferred fabric, shape and style. With a full-blown array of material, not limited to wood, you will have the ample choice of ordering what you need to your space. Our customization services cater for one-piece orders to full-fledge interior design projects.
Minjara’s furniture collection
Minjara’s furniture collection is the result of an ongoing exciting collaboration between Tripoli’s craftsmen and designers. Every piece is unique, telling a story of its own through creative designs, mixed material and exquisite finishing. It caters to the needs of anyone looking to furbish a space with high-quality designs at affordable prices. Every piece of Minjara’s furniture collection is worthy of your space.
Minjara’s editions
Stimulating the inventiveness of some of the preeminent local designers and design studios, Minjara creates, through its trusted craftsmen, a line of limited hand-selected pieces that inspire beauty and originality. Each edition reveals both heritage value and impressive novelty.
The people of Minjara
Get to know the people behind Minjara, the carpenters and craftsmen that transform wood into furniture art and discover the stories behind their passion.
For your purchases or orders you may contact them directly or get in touch with the Hub.