THIS IS THE WAY THEY USED TO HOME MANUFACTURE THE SYLAN. TO THE KITCHEN HOUSE TWO OR THREE BIG BASKETS CONTAINIG DATES WERE UNLOADED. THEN TWO SPECIALISTS WOULD COME WITH THEIR WODEN PRESS AND A LOT OF "HELANAT" (BIG POUCHES WOVEN FROM PALM TREE LEAVES). THEY WOULD UNLOAD THEIR EQUIPMENT AND THEN ASSEMBLE THE PRESS IN THE KITCHEN HOUSE. IN A BIG POT, OVER A WOODEN FIRE, THEY WOULD PUT DATES AND SOME WATER AND THEN COOK THE DATES UNTILL THEY WERE SOFT AND MUSHY.
THEY WOULD THEN FILL THE "HELANAT" WITH THE SOFTENED DATES AND STACK THEM ONE OVER THE OTHER IN THE PRESS. THEN THEY WOULD START TURNING THE WOODEN SCREW OF THE PRESS AND A HONEY-LIKE JUICE WOULD POUR IN SPECIAL CONTAINERS "TASHT". WHEN EACH CONTAINER WAS PARTIALLY FILLED IT WAS CARRIED TO THE ROOF THEN COVERED BY A LIGHT SHEET AND LEFT FOR A FEW DAYS FOR THE SYRUP TO THICKEN. THE SYLAN WAS STORED IN BIG GLAZED JARS "B'GHANI".