Safaa’s Visitors Centre – Tourism, Promotion, Art – Pekiin

Safaa Hir’s Visitors Centre is located in an ancient and historic house in a narrow alleyway leading to the ancient synagogue in Pekiin.
It is the home of her husband’s parents, Jamil Hir, who recounts that adjacent to the family home, wשs the home of the person he called Jertana Shuriya, who was their neighbour, Sarah Zinati, a daughter of the Zinati family, the last remaining Jewish family in Pekiin. Sarah, who was called by the Hir family Shuriya, died aged 79, and Jamil recounts worked until her last day and was considered to be the most diligent woman in Pekiin.
Sarah Zinati made her living from a grocery shop that she rented in Jamil’s parents’ home, the Hir family home. Today the grocery shop is part of the Visitors Centre and Jamil and Safaa are happy to tell their guests about the excellent neighbourly relationship with Jerenta Shuriya who was like a family member.
The encounter with Safaa Hir is an experience in itself. She is an entrepreneurial energetic woman, a teacher of art, and is a Druze artist and a pioneer.
At the beginning of the meeting with Safaa the guests are invited to tour the large and spacious home and after the tour to partake of some light refreshments, ordered in advance: homemade cheese, fruit platters, sambusak, manakish, homemade jams and of course coffee.
After the guests have been seated around long tables and viewed a short movie explaining about the Visitors Centre, Safaa tells her guests her unique story as a religious Druze woman, who believes that through art and creativity it is possible for women from all sectors to open a business which creates an income and significance for them without losing their connection to tradition and heritage.
At her Visitors Centre Safaa offers a range of workshops:
 Fragrant soap workshops in unique designs
 A workshop for preparation of fragrant candles
 A workshop for silk flower arrangements
 A flower arranging workshop
 Design of fruit platters
 A workshop for Druze cheese pudding
 A workshop for hand sculptures made of Fimo and Fimo workshops
In addition Safaa’s Visitors Centre offers (at extra charge) a tour of the picturesque streets of Pekiin and a meeting with unique characters and magical secrets, over and above that which is already familiar and known, which is led by her husband, Jamil Hir.
In the Visitors Centre you will also find a shop selling the fragrant soaps that Safaa makes and adds to them 20 kinds of fragrances, soaps in the form of fruit, or various figures, artificial flowers and more.