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DAMASCUS: Under the elegant arches and domes of an Ottoman-era compound, Joseph Tobjian displays his aromatic Aleppo soap at a trade fair designed to revive Syria’s exports-starved arts and crafts. The soap maker is among more than 130 merchants taking part in the state-sponsored fair in Damascus for small businesses from Aleppo, northern Syria. “I’ve spent my entire life around laurel oil and soap. Their scent does not leave my lungs,” Tobjian told AFP. “We’re in Damascus looking for an alternative to foreign markets, after exports stopped,” he said, soap bottles and natural cosmetics lining the table in front of him. ....