Hand Made Custom Hardware Can Make A Differance

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by "forging" the metal; i.e., by using hand tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process. Blacksmiths create such products as wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons. A skilled blacksmith can, with minimal effort, make a sophisticated product that looks good and demonstrates ingenuity.

A blacksmith who works primarily with horses, especially making and fitting horseshoes, is called a farrier.Hand made custom hardware

Prior to the industrial revolution, a "village smithy" was a staple of every town. Mass production techniques have reduced the marketplace for blacksmith work except in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America where large numbers of artisans continue to do traditional work. In more industrialized regions, an increasing demand for custom metalwork has given rise to a new breed of smiths commonly known as Artist-Blacksmiths.

In recent years the forging of stainless steel has given rise to a fresh approach to architectural blacksmithing.

Hephaestus (Latin: Vulcan) was the blacksmith of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology. A supremely skilled artisan whose forge was a volcano, he constructed most of the weapons of the gods, and was himself the god of fire and metalworking.Hand made custom hardware

In America the largest producer of products made in this age old tradition is Scottsdale Art Factory. Scottsdale Art Factory offers a apprentice program that offers to train individuals in the age old art of true blacksmithing. Scottsdale Art Factory has been producing products such as iron gates, furniture, door hardware, custom lighting and much more for over nine decades in the United States of America. They can also trace their roots to Italy were the founding of their company began.

Moroccan Entrance Door History

Moroccan Door:

Morocco wooden doors, Moorish double doors, wood Morocco gateways and Moorish carved doors! Moroccan doors are the best sign that a Moroccan house is about. Moroccans say a beautiful house is known by its beautiful door. We offer a wide range of Moroccan style doors, an unique art of Moroccan living, which makes it possible to recreate the warmth of hospitality and the cultural elegance of Mediterranean design right for your own home or office!

Scottsdale Art Factory: Offers Anglo Indian style doors with large bases in unique original design. Indian carving with European influence. Antique style door from the once French enclave in India, Pandacheri. Perfect for wine cellar or to give character to any house. Fine flower carvings on frame sides and over and under lintel. South India. Gujarat temple style doors, carved in solid cedar, inset with iron or copper plaques are avaliable. We can make you a pair of doors with massive carved frame ideal for your wine cellar. Spectacularly deep carved framed door. You may order huge hand forged iron hinges. Install these on your guest house and "Shahrazad" will come.

Berbers The early Berbers were unmoved by the colonizing Phoenicians, and even the Romans did little to upset the Berber way of life after the sack of Carthage in 146 BC. All the same, the Romans ushered in a long period of peace during which many cities were founded, and the Berbers of the coastal plains became city dwellers. Christianity turned up in the 3rd century AD, and again the Berbers asserted their traditional dislike of centralized authority by following Donatus (a Christian sect leader who claimed that the Donatists alone constituted the true church).

Morocco officially Kingdom of Morocco, Arabic Al-Maghrib, or Al-Mamlakah al-MaghribYyah country of northwestern North Africa that lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. It borders Algeria to the east and southeast, Western Sahara to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. It is the only African country with coastal exposure to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With the Western Sahara's 97,344 square miles (252,120 square km), Morocco occupies a total area of 274,461 square miles (710,850 square km). Casablanca is the largest city, primary seaport, and commercial and industrial hub. Rabat is the capital and the country's second largest city.

Because of its lack of natural harbors, its rugged mountainous interior, and its distance throughout its history from imperial centers in the east, Morocco remained relatively free from foreign invasion until the early 20th century. This enabled it to preserve a proud traditional character, which is a rich blend of Berber, Arab-Islamic, Iberian, and African cultural influences. Those traits were joined by an infusion of European cultural elements during the colonial period (1912–56) when Morocco was a protectorate of both France and Spain.

Brief History:

Unlike other North African nations, Morocco has been largely occupied by one group of people for as long as recorded history can recall. The Berbers, or Imazighen (men of the land), settled in the area thousands of years ago and at one time controlled all of the land between Morocco and Egypt. Divided into clans and tribes, they have always jealously guarded their independence. It's this fierce spirit that has helped preserve one of Africa's most fascinating cultures.