advisor – Page 5 – iTourismA

Khatamkari

2019/10/06/1 Comment/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

Khatamkari literally means decorating objects’ surfaces with small pieces like tiles and it is one of the Persian arts wherein the surface of wooden or metallic articles is decorated with pieces of wood, bone and metal cut in a variety of shapes and designs.

This art, to some extent, has existed in Iran from long ago. Inlaid articles in the Safavid era took on a special significance, as artists used this art on doors, windows, mirror frames, Qur’an boxes, pen and pen holders, lanterns and tombs.

Also, in some royal buildings, doors and various items have been inlaid. The inlaid-ornamented rooms in Sa’dabad and Marble Palace in Tehran are among masterpieces of this art.

Incorporating techniques from China and improving it with Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still practiced in Shiraz and Isfahan.

How to do it

Gold, silver and etc. can be used for collector coins. These rods are first assembled into triangular beams with geometric patterns, and then these are assembled again and glued into bundles in a strict order to form a cylinder of about 70cm, whose edge shows the unity of the base of the final decoration.

These cylinders are then sheared in shorter cylinders, then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before undergoing a final cut that makes slices of about 1 mm in thickness. The latter are then ready to be plated and glued on the support object to be decorated before being lacquered. They can be preheated to soften them, if the object is curved, so that they can perfectly marry the curves. The decorated objects are: boxes, chess or backgammon, frames, or even musical instruments.

The Khatam technique can also be applied to the famous Persian miniatures, thus creating true works of art.

Persian Pottery

2019/10/04/1 Comment/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Gilan, Lorestan, Mazandaran /by Iran Tourism

Persian Pottery

Iranian pottery production presents a continuous history from the beginning of Iranian history until the present day. In Iran pottery manufacture has a long and brilliant history. Due to the special geographical position of the country, being at the crossroads of ancient civilizations and on important caravan routes, almost every part of Iran was, at times, involved in pottery making. Yet, recent excavations and archaeological research revealed that there were four major pottery-manufacturing areas in the Iranian plateau. These included the western part of the country, namely the area west of the Zagros Mountains (Lorestan), and the area south of the Caspian Sea (Gilan and Mazandaran provinces).

One of the earliest known and excavated prehistoric sites that produced pottery is Ganj Darreh Tappeh in the Kermanshah region. Another great discovery was made south of the Caspian Sea in a cave, in the so-called Kamarband, (Belt cave) near present day Behshahr.

With the invention and the introduction of the potter’s wheel, it became possible to produce better quality and symmetrically-shaped vessels; the number of pottery types made was greatly increased as well. The decoration of these objects was made with much greater care and artistic skill, and the designs used were greatly enriched and carefully selected.

In general the history of Iranian-Islamic pottery can be divided into three main periods Post-Sassanian or Early Islamic Period; Middle Islamic Period; Later Islamic Period.

In these three periods, which lasted for more than a thousand years, numerous pottery centers were established, which produced innumerable types of wares.

Currently, pottery art is popular in traditional and industrial ways in Iran, and its main centers are: Laljin, Hamedan, Meybod, Yazd, Kalporgan, Minab, Gilan, Gonabad, Shahreza and etc.

Laljin

Laljin is known as the Middle East pottery and ceramic works. 80 percent of the population of the city of Laljin is engaged in pottery and ceramic works.

Local Costume and Food of Khorasan People

2019/10/02/1 Comment/in North Khorasan, Other, Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan /by Iran Tourism

Local Costume of Khorasaan People

In Great Khorasaan province which is divided into 3 parts, different people are living such as Turkoman, Kurd, Balouch and etc.

Balouch people are settled in southern and eastern parts of Khorasaan Razavi and wear their own costume which is decorated with needlework.

Turkoman people live in northern parts of Khorasaan Razavi. The most important part of Turkoman women’s wear is a red dress called “Chavak”. For men this long dress is called “doon” and it’s the major part of their clothing. There are two types of hats called “Boorik” with needlework and “Talpak” with long wool. In Ghouchan, Dargaz and Kalaat, Turkish and Kurdish people wear their own costume. Kurdish men’s wear are similar to the ones in Kurdistan.

In Kermanj, women wear “Shilvaar” which is a corrugated skirt with detailed fringe.

The main women’s wear in Khorasaan is “Shalite”. A layered and corrugated skirt with vest and scarf.

Finally, when we talk about Khorasaan Costume, we all remember the bust, white pants and turban which people wear during a dance called “Choub Baazi”.

Khorasaan Local Food

One of the most amazing parts of traveling to a new province is tasting its local food that can get us familiar with their taste. Great Khorasaan province has its own local food like Kome joush, Khorasaan lentils halim, saateri polo,reshteh suzmeh, ghorouto, Neyshabour oatmeal soup, tougi sardaaghi and etc.

Handicrafts of Isfahan – Part 2

2019/06/04/0 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

In the first part, we reviewed 5 items of Isfahan handicrafts. In the following, there are other items from Isfahan Handicrafts.

6. Moaragh

The word “Moaragh” actually means something tidy, the art of making art is the laying of colorful and valuable wood, such as ivory, oysters, and metal, to achieve the desired design.

Wood art mosaic can be one of the most beautiful and finest wood arts and crafts in Iran. The Isfahan art scene in Iran has a special place, the best and most diverse works of the world about this art to the Iranians. In fact, this art is really about making different kinds of different types of different colors and patterns.

7. Ghalamkari

Ghalamkari is derived from the Persian words ghalam (pen) and kari (craftsmanship), meaning drawing with a pen. This is a type of hand-painted or wooden block-printed cotton textile, using natural dyes. It is an old craft that has been used as a conduit for their artistic creativity by the Iranian graphic designers, since the antiquity.

8. Firoozeh Koobi

Firoozeh Koobi (Turquoise) is one of the most popular arts in Isfahan. In this art, small pieces of turquoise appear on the surface of dishes, jewelry and decorative objects. This works on copper, brass, silver and bronze surfaces.

9. Carpet Weaving

Carpets are one of the first artistic handicrafts which have been woven since ancient times in Persia. Iranian Carpets have always been famous all over the world. Almost all international tourists buy even a small Iranian carpet during their trips in Iran. During the Safavid era, Isfahan was considered one of the main centers of carpet weaving in Iran and there were a lot of workshops. Today, the city of Meyme is one of the important centers for producing handmade carpets in Isfahan province.

10. Pottery and Ceramics

Pottery is the process of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired to give them a hard, durable form. This art is considered in the city of Isfahan, as well as in the cities of Natanz and Shahreza

11. Miniature

Miniature is a kind of painting that has long existed in Iran. This type of painting can be sold as decorative panels or used in the architecture to decorate the walls.

Handicrafts of Isfahan – Part 1

2019/05/26/166 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

The handicrafts of Isfahan represent the industry and art of the ancestors and displays of the taste and art of the people of Isfahan, which has been attracting domestic and foreign tourists over the years.