Three young women from Damascus Countryside master the art of Mandala drawing

9 November، 2022 Damascus, SANA- Their passion for painting and their high artistic sense have pushed Aya Nour, Ranim al-Mahmoud and Makarem Zarzar, three young women from al- Ruhaybah City in Damascus Countryside, to delve into the art of Mandala drawing which depends on balanced colored lines and inscriptions in delightful colors. Mandala art is one of the most unique and wonderful arts. It is used for meditation and helps express feelings through the method of choosing colors and shapes, this is what Aya, who holds an artistic high school diploma, told SANA. She adds that she saw a picture of a mandala on the internet, it attracted her to learn about this art, so she began to learn its details and search for its drawings, and she also joined groups on social media about this art, and soon registered in one of the mandala education courses, adding that she has other artistic hobbies such as embroidery, crochet and fashion design. The support which she received from her family and the local community has been also a reason for developing the talent of Ranim, who is a second-year student at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering. Ranim says that she grew up and her passion for drawing grew with her little by little, adding that she has received great encouragement by her parents and then she posted her artworks in mandala art on the Facebook and they have received local interaction and approval. Ranim underlined the importance of supporting mandala art at the schools and media. As for Makarem, who is a student at the Sharia Institute, she found in the mandala an aesthetic value that distinguishes it from all other arts. She has participated in a local exhibition in al-Ruhaybah city and she will participate in another exhibition in al- Qutayfah. The three young women unanimously expressed their strong ambition to expand the art of the mandala and to possess all its necessary tools through having a special studio to train young people in the city of Ruhaybah and to find a source of income for them, even if simple. A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction.