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マイケルズイングリッシュスクール英会話　大阪天王寺　毎週の単語レッスン

Aleppo soap makes leap from souk to Paris suburb

オレーブオイルとローレルオイル（月桂樹の油）を主原料とするアレッポの石けんは世界に愛用者がいる商品。だが、シリア内戦の影響で現地生産は困難になっており、フランスに逃れて生産を続ける業者もいる。

• 線色のナチュラル固形石けん

A collateral victim of the Syrian war, Aleppo soap has found a sanctuary far from the ruined city whose elegant souks, many now reduced to rubble, made the coveted green bars for centuries.

In an industrial zone on the outskirts of Paris, a Syrian master soap maker is carrying on the tradition. Mixing olive oil and laurel oil with water and lye, he produces a deeply moisturising natural cleanser that has won devotees worldwide.

The scent of laurel oil wafts through the corridors of the factory in Santeny. The factory is about 30 km southeast of the French capital, where big blocks of soap are drying.

Wearing white overalls, Hassan Harastani stirs a bubbling pea-green mixture in a giant cauldron while chatting with businessman Samir Constantini.

Constantini, a trained doctor, began importing soap from Syria\’s historic second city in 2004 and later began producing the soap under the \”Alepia\” brand.

His plan had been to open a soap factory on the outskirts of Aleppo with Harastani, a master of the art who learned the trade from his father.

But Syria\’s brutal civil war, which has made a ruin of much of Aleppo, laid waste to his plans.

Harastani and his family fled the fighting that turned the city into a global symbol of suffering.

\”We could no longer go to the factory because of the shelling and kidnappings,\” he said.

• ５０近い工場はほぼ全減

With all but one of two of around 50 soap factories destroyed in Aleppo, Constantini and Harastini decided to start producing the soap on French soil.

\”I used to have lots of customers, in Syria but also abroad, in France, Italy, Germany, the Gulf countries, South Korea, Japan, China,\” Harastini says. \”I was an ordinary person who loved his work and his family … It\’s the only profession I\’ve known for 35 years.\”

On arriving in France, he resumed his trade, 4,000 km from home.

Constantini is adamant that the Made in France soap is still essentially Syrian. \”It is made by the master soap maker Harastani and is, therefore, proper Aleppo soap,\” he argues.

The entire soap-making process – from the selection and mixing of the oils and lye through to the drying and cutting – is carried out according to family recipes dating back more than 3,000 years.

The nearly six-year war came to a head in the eastern part of Aleppo last month.  Thousands of hungry, terrified residents began being bussed out of the city after weeks of bombings.

With no immediate end to the fighting in sight, Constantini says the best thing he can do is \”continue making this soap and hope that peace will return.\”

Harastani says he does not know what the future holds but is \”not so pessimistic.\” One thing is certain, he says. \”We will return to Syria someday.\”

アレッポを逃れ、パリ郊外で名産の石けん作り　単語

（見出し）souk  -（中東の）青空市場・collateral -巻き添えの・sanctuary –  避難市場・ruined – 破壊された・rubble – がれき・coveted – ・bars – 固形石けん・outskirts – 外れ・lye – あく・devotees – ファン・scent – 香り・wafts through – 〜に漂う・corridors – 廊下・stirs – 〜をかき混ぜる・pea-green – エンドウ豆のような緑色の・cauldron – 大釜・chatting with – 〜と喋りする・brutal – 残酷な・laid waste to – 〜を台無しにした・fled – 〜を逃れた・shelling – 砲撃・kidnappings – 誘拐・resumed – 〜を再開した・ trade – 商売・adamant – 断固とした・came … head – 重大な局面に達した・being … of – 〜の外にバスで運ばれる・

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The aim of the articles is to be short enough to easily digest, whilst still providing some important new words. Furthermore, we deliberately choose topics that you\’ve probably heard in the news already. This makes them relatable and easier to understand. Could you tell your teacher about this news story, in English? Try to practice recounting the story, or even rewriting it in your own words. Afterwards, you can show it to your teacher for correction. Additionally, you could also try a translation of the article. This is an intellectually stimulating exercise which is both fun and great practice for understanding the different ways of thinking between English and Japanese. Finally, please remember to have fun learning English! The most rewarding thing for us at Michael\’s English School is seeing your results. See you next time!