Category: Handicraft

Firuzeh Kubi (Turquoise Inlay) from Isfahan

One of the most popular crafts in Iran is the turquoise inlay. The Firuzeh Kubi consists of small pieces of turquoise stone that are embedded, like a mosaic, in a copper, silver, brass or bronze base, covering the entire base or parts of it. Firuzeh Kubi is a fairly recent profession, barely started seventy years ago. It was first invented to decorate jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, brooches, etc. Today, the Firuzeh Kubi is one of the most famous souvenirs in Isfahan. The turquoise gems used in this craft come from stone workshops and from stones not usable for other purposes.

To fill the gaps between the inlays, the base is heated to 40°C, rubber powder is poured in, and the gaps are filled with smaller pieces. The remaining spaces will be filled with blue wax. In the next step, the surface is smoothed and finally the product is polished to a smooth, shiny surface. Firuzeh Kubi amphoras and vases are among the most coveted items in Isfahan.

Zanjan filigree

Malile Kari

Filigree is one of the most important applied arts in the province of Zanjan, which consists of welding silver and iron wires. Researchers have traced it back to 550-330 BC. Many filigree objects have been discovered in the treasures of Susa, Hamedan and Jeyhoun, proving that this handicraft has been practiced since ancient times.

Nowadays, most of the filigree articles are made of silver, meanwhile, other components are natural wax, aqua regia, alum and sulfuric acid. The tools used in filigree crafts closely resemble those used in goldsmithing. The first step of filigree is to pass silver, gold or copper sheets through the laminating machine in order to transform them into fine threads approximately 1 to 2 millimeters thick.

Currently, gold filigree is practiced to create jewelry such as earrings, rings, etc., and silver filigree to produce items such as trays, vases, jewelers and plates. The most common motifs used in the Zanjan filigree are buta, cypress, ivy, and flowers.

Namad Mali of Semnan

Felt Processing

One of the many handicrafts of Semnan is felt, the production of which dates back to ancient times. The method of making felt is quite similar in different regions of Iran, but sometimes variable in color, pattern and thickness. Felt is known to be the oldest man-made floor covering. There is a famous legend told by the parishioners of Semnan according to which the prophet Suleiman had a son who was a shepherd. He wanted to make a woolen cloth from his sheep. Despite his efforts, he failed. Desperate and furious, he punched the silk as he wept for his fate. His tears ran down the wool and compacted it. And that’s how the first felt was made, according to legend, of course.

Felt is a fabric that is manufactured without a loom based on two fundamental principles: humidity and pressure. In the felt treatment process, water is poured over the layers of material as they are compressed, allowing the fibers to adhere to form a single piece of fabric. The most widely used material for felts is spring sheared sheep’s wool, as it has the longest fibers. The amount of wool needed for one square meter of felt is equal to that needed to make the rug, but since the time spent making the felt is less (about a day), it comes at a lower price.

The greatest use of felt is in producing kitchen utensils, such as korsi, horse blankets, dolls, dervishes’ clothing, nomads’ hats, rugs, curtains, and headgear. Felt patterns and drawings are usually based on abstract motifs inspired by nature, for example: Chahar Gush-e Khorshidi, symbol of the Sun. Currently, felt processing is carried out in the cities of Semnan and Shahrud, Isfahan, Yazd and Arak.

Alborz Crystal

Glass carving, dating from the Achaemenid dynasty, is one of the most original and common methods of decorating glass works. The craftsmen of the Sasanian period also had great skill in carving glass, so glass works from the Islamic period were influenced by those of ancient Persia. In fact, carving is the oldest complementary and decorative process that has been carried out on crystals for centuries. But in Iran, what is known today as the glass lathe started in 1935, when an Iranian glass factory was established. In this artistic process, different designs are carved into pieces of glass using specific stones that are harder than glass.

The designs used in glass carving are mostly imaginative and made from memory, and are often inspired by the carver’s thoughts, including mainly paisley, geometric and arabesque motifs such as the six angular stars, the sun, etc. Alborz province is one of the most important crystal production centers in Iran, and the products are mainly jars, glasses, bottles, candlesticks, bowls, plates and salad bowls.

Zonouz pottery

Zonouz is a city in the eastern Azerbaijan province, near the central district of Marand. In this city there is a kaolin mine that provides the necessary material for the production of ceramics.

When kaolin was scarce and the technology to make tools was only available in China, the land of Zonouz was used as an alternative. A piece of ceramic consists of two parts, the first is the body, and the other is the coating of the body that decorates the objects and makes them resistant to water, called enamel. The body of the ceramic is made of different materials available in each region. Mainly in Zonouz, kaolin is mined from the Bilolukh Mountains.

After the objects are created, the potters display them in the open air and then paint them with a brush. After being painted and dried, they are dipped in white glaze and the ceramic remains white after firing. White enamel is the most common type of enamel and also serves as the basis for other types of enamels that are prepared from a mixture of tin, lead, glass powder, and baking soda.

In this region, the type of production is quite wide, in fact there are: beautiful sets of plates, vases, chandeliers, ashtrays, tea sets, frames, saucers, bowls and statues of animals such as deer, horses, sheep and camels.

Yazd pottery

Ceramic art is one of the most interesting and ancient crafts in Yazd, which due to its history and economic importance, testifies to the artistic taste of the inhabitants of the central region of Iran. In the city of Meybod, in Yazd, in Mend-e Gonabad, in Khorasan, and in Estahban, in Fars, white clay is used to produce pottery and porcelain. One of the most popular motifs for adorning items is the sun representing itself in the form of a beautiful woman who in Persian is known as “khorshid khanum” (lady of the sun). Other motifs include decorative foliage, birds, fish, and abstract motifs on Meybod pottery.

These drawings and patterns create a complex of symbols through which the lives, dreams and wishes of their creators are reflected. The colors and glazes of the pottery are mainly blue, green and yellow, and the drawings are made with fine black lines.

In Ardakan, there are vast lands and clay hills. The purest and finest-grained clay is found mainly in Meybod, giving place to a major pottery trade in central Iran. In fact, Meybod pottery is linked to geological and geographical location. The high quality of Yazd’s clay and silica and kaolin mines, along with the region’s desert climate, are another reason why pottery production is considered an ancient and artistic craft.

Sistan and Baluchistan embroidery

Suzan Duzi from Sistan and Baluchistan

The Suzan Duzi of Sistan and Baluchistan is one of the most unique examples of Iranian craftsmanship. Numerous documents show that this embroidery existed since the beginning of the Islamic era in this region of Iran and that it later flourished and developed during the Timurid and Safavid dynasties, 14th-16th.

The Suzan Duzi is used to adorn pants, dresses, blouses and leggings. As traditional clothing continues to be worn by women in many towns and regions, the production of embroidered garments is very common in the towns, large and small, of Zahedan and Saravan in the east and Iranshahr in the west (generally in the southeast of Iran). Embroidery techniques differ from region to region.

The different types of Suzan Duzi are represented in very vivid colors. The details, on the other hand, are done in green, blue, white and black. The common feature in all embroidery from these regions is the use of geometric and linear figures. In fact, the motifs are generally divided into three groups: geometric motifs, the most popular among Baloch works. Triangles and squares are the main motifs that are also found in other crafts such as ceramics; floral motifs that include plant and animal motifs such as the red rose, the four-petal flower, the dandelion, the eight-petal flower and the chicken feet; other elements are natural elements, such as mountains, rivers, etc. In addition to clothing, Baluchi embroidery is used to make rugs, bags and cushions, and the typical Baluchi masks worn by women.

Tehran (Shishegari) Blown Glass Art

The artisanal glass industry has a long history in Iran, and researchers date the antiquity of this artistic production to 2000 BC. In fact, the materials discovered in the Ziggurat of Choga Zanbil in Susa, Lorestan, Persepolis and other regions of Iran have shown their claim.

The different glass transformation methods are: blowing, molding, laminating and spinning. To produce glass using the blowing technique, raw materials are poured into a furnace to melt them and, once completely melted, the craftsman dips a type of rod, called Dam, into the molten glass while spinning it by wrapping it around one end. of the torch, which results in a small bubble called “the first ball.” In the next step, another piece is removed from the oven by wrapping it around the first ball. The craftsman creates the desired shape by forming the ball with the appropriate tools, including scissors to cut the rows of molten glass. The carved pieces are then kept in a chest with a temperature of 45-55 ° C to cool down.

As for blown glass objects, the variety is immense including decorative objects such as chandeliers, vases, mirrors, windows, bowls, amphoras and jugs.