Following traditional practices, a young silk weaver in the Takeo district operates a loom to ...

Following traditional practices, a young silk weaver in the Takeo district operates a loom to produce ikat for sale to tourists in the Russian Markets in Phnom Penh. Another loom sits behind her and this photo session has attracted some villagers who stand and watch. There was a danger that traditional Khmer weaving designs and practices would disappear after the devastation of the Khmer Rouge regime and almost thirty years of social chaos. The loss of centuries old mulberry trees, the source of silk, in traditional silk-producing areas such as the Takeo district, means that silk is no longer produced in Cambodia and thread is imported from Vietnam and Thailand. Efforts to revive the industry, started during the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) mission, are have been continued and strengthened through the Cambodian Silk Weaving Revitalisation Project, which assist young weavers such as this woman.