Khaled Alfayad learned the difficult craft of marquetry in a workshop in Damascus; he subsequently opened his own workshop and now employs ten workers. Each piece utilizes the skills of five artists: one to make the structure, a second to draw the overall design, a third to prepare the “mother” block consisting of wooden sticks in the desired pattern, a fourth to apply the wood chip veneer, and a fifth to burnish and finish the piece. Wooden marquetry was popularized in Syria in the 19th century.