Alicha Marine (Maral)

Maral was born in Aleppo and lived there until the war. Her grandparents were from Urfa province in Western Armenia. 

In 2012 the war in Syria left them no other choice than to leave everything behind and move to Armenia. Maral was a teacher of Arabic language in Aleppo. Being an ethnic Armenian she has an excellent knowledge of Arabic and has been given the privilege of teaching Arab children their native language. The social integration and finding a job at the same time was a temporary difficulty for Maral, because she has inherited from her ancestors the incredible ability of fighting and wining.

Maral was taught making pepper paste by her mother, as all the other girls and housewives in Aleppo. They usually make it for home use. Meanwhile, Maral realized that this paste has a high demand within the Armenians moved from Diaspora, because it is made according to a special recipe. Maral and her husband have created their own production now. They also have coworkers, who are locals.