Iranian handicrafts are

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

or handmade crafted works originating from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Basketry and wickerwork

* , a bamboo

wickerwork Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

or textile, used to make floor mats, stools, and fans. * , a palm leaf basketry. * , an indigenous boat made of tobacco leaves found in the

Hamun Lake Lake Hāmūn ( fa, دریاچه هامون, ''Daryācheh-ye Hāmūn''; ps, هامون ډنډ), or the Hamoun Oasis, is a seasonal lake and wetlands in the endorheic Sīstān Basin in the Sistan region on the Afghanistan–Iran border. In Iran, ...

region

Carpets and rugs

Persian carpet A Persian carpet ( fa, فرش ایرانی, translit=farš-e irâni ) or Persian rug ( fa, قالی ایرانی, translit=qâli-ye irâni ),Savory, R., ''Carpets'',(Encyclopaedia Iranica); accessed January 30, 2007. also known as Iranian ...

Abadeh rug An Abaadeh carpet is a type of Persian carpet made in the town of Abadeh in Iran. History The rugs are named after the city of Abadeh, halfway between Isfahan and Shiraz in Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, a ...

, type of carpet with a large diamond pattern **

Afshar rugs Afshar is a handwoven rug style produced by the Turkic Afshar tribe, a semi-nomadic group principally located in the mountainous areas surrounding the modern region of Iranian Azerbaijan. An additional population of Afshar tribes-people is located i ...

, carpets from the Turkic

Afshar tribe Afshar ( az, Əfşar افشار; tr, Avşar, ''Afşar''; tk, Owşar; fa, اَفشار, Āfshār) is a tribe of Oghuz Turkic origin, that split into several groups in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. During the Seljuk conquests of the 11th century ...

Ardabil Carpet The Ardabil Carpet (or Ardebil Carpet) is the name of two different famous Persian carpets, the largest and best-known now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Originally there were two presumably identical carpets, and the London carpe ...

, the name of two different famous Safavid carpets which became a style **

Dilmaghani The Dilmaghani family, the oldest existing manufacturers of hand knotted carpets and oriental rugs, can be traced back to the 1850sIttig, Annette (1986). ''The Kirmani Boom - A Study in Entrepreneurship''. pp. 114-119. Qajar dynasty, Persia. In a ...

, the oldest existing manufacturers of hand knotted carpets **

Gabbeh Gabbeh or gabba ( fa, گبه) carpets are a traditional variety of Persian carpet. Gabbeh is known as gava in Kurdish and Luri and is also called khersak () in Bakhtiari, literally meaning a "bear's cub". Traditionally a sleeping rug, a gabbeh ...

, a type of Persian nomadic carpet **

Heriz rug Heriz rugs are Persian rugs from the area of Heris, East Azerbaijan in northwest Iran, northeast of Tabriz. Such rugs are produced in the village of the same name in the slopes of Mount Sabalan Sabalan ( Persian: سبلان ) is an inactive ...

, type of carpet with copper in the wool and bold patterns with a large medallion **

Shiraz rug A Shiraz carpet ( fa, قالی شیراز) is a type of Persian rug made in the villages around the city of Shiraz, in the Iranian province of Fars. Designs tend to come from settled tribal weavers so they mimic Qashqai, Khamseh (Basseri and K ...

, a type of Persian carpet **

Tabriz rug A Tabriz rug/carpet is a type in the general category of Persian carpets from the city of Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province in north west of Iran. It is one of the oldest rug weaving centers and makes a huge diversity of ty ...

, genre of carpets found in

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

Kilim A kilim ( az, Kilim کیلیم; tr, Kilim; tm, Kilim; fa, گلیم ''Gilīm'') is a flat tapestry-woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran, the Balkans and the Turkic countries. Kili ...

s, flat woven rug or tapestry ** , type of Kilim *

Soumak Soumak (also spelled Soumakh, Sumak, Sumac, or Soumac) is a tapestry technique of weaving sturdy, decorative fabrics used for rugs, domestic bags and bedding, with soumak fabrics used for bedding known as soumak mafrash. Soumak is a type of flat ...

, flat woven rug, bedding, or tapestry; a stronger and thicker weave than a Kilim File:Ardabil Carpet rotate.jpg, The

Ardabil carpet The Ardabil Carpet (or Ardebil Carpet) is the name of two different famous Persian carpets, the largest and best-known now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Originally there were two presumably identical carpets, and the London carpe ...

File:Man weaving a carpet in restored caravansary of Meybod.jpg, weaving a carpet in a caravansari in

Meybod Meybod ( fa, Meybod) is a city in and capital of Meybod County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 58,295, in 15,703 families. Meybod is a major desert city in Yazd Province, Iran, with a population of about 75,000 ma ...

File:TapisGabbeh.png,

gabbeh Gabbeh or gabba ( fa, گبه) carpets are a traditional variety of Persian carpet. Gabbeh is known as gava in Kurdish and Luri and is also called khersak () in Bakhtiari, literally meaning a "bear's cub". Traditionally a sleeping rug, a gabbeh ...

carpet File:Baluch mid 19th C..jpeg, Baluch carpet, mid–19th century File:Borchaliu Soumak Mafrash.jpg,

rug

Textiles

* Balochi needlework *

Brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...

, shuttle-woven

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

often made in colored silks and sometimes with

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

threads. *

Felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

, a traditional weaving, common to the Kermanshah province *, a traditional machine woven fabric *

Ghalamkar ''Kalamkari'' is a type of hand-painted cotton textile produced in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Only natural dyes are used in ''Kalamkari'', which involves twenty-three steps. There are two distinctive styles of Kalamkari art in India � ...

, wood-block printed fabric, often used for table cloths or as bedspreads. * Khameh, silk embroidered on raw-colored fabric, typically in all white. * Pateh, needlework on wool, with colored thread, mostly of silk. It is mostly created by women. *

Persian embroidery Persian embroidery is a Persian art and handicraft. History It has been speculated that Persian embroidery existed from ancient times and at least from the time of the Sasanian Empire, based on numerous designs are visible on rock sculptures a ...

Jajim Jajim (; ; ; ) also spelled as gelims, or Jajim-bafi, is a handmade, flat-woven textile made of colored natural fiber which is created and used in the majority of villages and rural areas of Iran. Other locations the Jajim is found include Azerbai ...

, hand-woven, colorful fabric often found in rural areas * Rasht embroidery * Sistan embroidery and , using a black, cream or white thread color to decorate clothing or other fabrics. *

Termeh Termeh ( fa, ترمه) is a type of Persian (Iranian) handwoven cloth, produced primarily in the Isfahan province. Now the Yazd Termeh is the most beautiful and famous in the world. Yazd is the center of the design, producing and marketing o ...

, hand woven fabric, often used for table cloths, or made into shawls. *

Zardozi Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label=Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوزی ...

, metal embroidery threadwork made of silver or gold. File:Close Shot of the Zardozi (Zardouzi) Embroidery Cushion Covers.jpg, Up-close of

metal embroidery File:Iranian Termeh.jpg, A sample of Termeh File:سوزندوزی پرکار بلوچی.jpg, Iranian Baluchi embroidery File:Persian Silk Brocade - Large Flower, Cypress - Seifollah Monajati Kashani - 1971.jpg, Persian silk

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...

fabric with silver thread (Persian: ''Golabetoon'') File:Making a felt robe for Bakhtiari shepherds.jpg, Bakhtiari felting in

Shahr-e Kord Shahr-e Kord ( fa, شهركرد, also Romanized as Shahrekord and Shahr Kord) is the capital city of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. It is the largest city in the province, and is 90 km away from Iran's third largest city, Isfaha ...

File:Persian-suzani-Pateh.jpg, Pateh, needlework on wool

Metalwork

* Enamelwork (Persian: Minakari) *

Metal engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

(Persian: Ghalamzani) *

Openwork Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...

, a popular style for bronze work *

Silver-gilt Silver-gilt or gilded/gilt silver, sometimes known in American English by the French term vermeil, is silver (either pure or sterling) which has been gilded with gold. Most large objects made in goldsmithing that appear to be gold are actually ...

Toreutics The term ''toreutics'', relatively rarely used in English, refers to artistic metalworking – hammering gold or silver (or other materials), engraving, or using repoussé and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs or small engraved patterns. To ...

(Persian: Ghalam-Zani) File:Graver 002.jpg, Tabriz-style copper File:ChosroesHuntingScene.JPG, Persian metal engraving (golden plated), depicting Shah Anushirvan File:استاد مهدی ابراهیمی مخراج کاری.jpg, ring making in Qom province File:Iran, khorasan o asia centrale, brucia-profumi a forma di felino, XI sec. 01 rame e vetro.JPG, Openwork metal,

incense burner A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

, c. 11th century File:Iranian handicraft.jpg, Enamelwork File:Iranian Handicraft.JPG, Store selling metalwork

Woodwork

Girih ''Girih'' ( fa, گره, "knot", also written ''gereh'') are decorative Islamic geometric patterns used in architecture and handicraft objects, consisting of angled lines that form an interlaced strapwork pattern. ''Girih'' decoration is beli ...

, a branch of traditional architecture and tiling

strapwork In the history of art and design, strapwork is the use of stylised representations in ornament of ribbon-like forms. These may loosely imitate leather straps, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings, and often interwoven in ...

, often made of wood, but sometimes made of other materials. *Moarragh (also known as Moarraq), traditional

marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furn ...

or wood inlay *

Khatam Khātam ( fa, خاتم) is an ancient Persian technique of inlaying. It is a version of marquetry where art forms are made by decorating the surface of wooden articles with delicate pieces of wood, bone and metal precisely-cut intricate geometri ...

or wood inlay using very small pieces, often made into boxes or to decorate home goods *

Wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

File:Girih tiles.jpg, Girih screen found in

Nishapur Nishapur or officially Romanized as Neyshabur ( fa, ;Or also "نیشاپور" which is closer to its original and historic meaning though it is less commonly used by modern native Persian speakers. In Persian poetry, the name of this city is wr ...

File:Boite khatam.jpg, A sample of Khatam box File:Khatam Kari.JPG, Khatam items

Pottery and ceramics

Earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

Fritware Fritware, also known as stone-paste, is a type of pottery in which frit (ground glass) is added to clay to reduce its fusion temperature. The mixture may include quartz or other siliceous material. An organic compound such as gum or glue may ...

* Garrus ware * Gombroon ware *

Kraak ware Kraak ware or Kraak porcelain (Dutch ''Kraakporselein'') is a type of Chinese export porcelain produced mainly in the late Ming Dynasty, in the Wanli reign (1573–1620), but also in the Tianqi (1620–1627) and the Chongzhen (1627–1644). It w ...

* Kubachi ware *

Lustreware Lustreware or lusterware (respectively the spellings for British English and American English) is a type of pottery or porcelain with a Metal, metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence. It is produced by metallic Oxide, oxides in an Cer ...

Mina'i ware ware is a type of Persian pottery developed in Kashan, Iran, in the decades leading up to the Mongol invasion of Persia in 1219, after which production ceased. It has been described as "probably the most luxurious of all types of ceramic war ...

*Moarragh, traditional ceramic mosaic tile developed by the

Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

File:Iran, isfahan (forse), piatto con uccello tra fiori, 1580-1630 ca..JPG, Persian

File:Roof hafez tomb.jpg, glazed ceramic tile work, from the ceiling of the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz File:Ariana museum - Plat Iran (Tabriz ou Ispahan) - XVII ième siècle - Inventaire AR 2005-22 (cropped).JPG, Kubachi ware File:Five Tiles from an Inscriptional Frieze MET wb-15.76.4.jpeg,

File:Bowl MET 57.36.14front.jpeg,

Stone, masonry, and mosaic

*, a building material used inside the walls of nomadic black tents called "siah chador". *

Hardstone carving Hardstone carving is a general term in art history and archaeology for the artistic carving of predominantly semi-precious stones (but also of gemstones), such as jade, rock crystal (clear quartz), agate, onyx, jasper, serpentinite, or carnelian, ...

* Sculpturing *

Stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

* Firoozeh Koobi, made of a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

vessel that is covered with inlayed turquoise stone. *Stone inlay, the most popular stone used is

carnelian Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker (the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often use ...

, followed by

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of yea ...

to make traditional jewelry. The inlay is typically laid in

mastic Mastic may refer to: Adhesives and pastes *Mastic (plant resin) *Mastic asphalt, or asphalt, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid * Mastic cold porcelain, or salt ceramic, is a traditional salt-based modeling clay. *Mastic, high-grade con ...

and wax, then fixed with enamel and/or

niello Niello is a black mixture, usually of sulphur, copper, silver, and lead, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal, especially silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens, and flows or is pushed ...

. File:Firoozeh koob (cropped).png, Firoozeh koobi or Persian turquoise inlay File:نقش برجسته44 - panoramio.jpg,

Colossal Statue of Shapur I The Colossal Statue of Shapur I‌ ( Persian: پیکره شاپور یکم) is a statue of Shapur I (AD 240–272), the second shah (king) of the Sassanid Empire. It stands in the Shapur cave, a huge limestone cave located about 6 km fr ...

, example of traditional

statuary A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

stone carving File:Iranian handicraft.jpg, Enameled vase File:Stained glass Photo From Sahand Ace..jpg

Painting, drawing, and motifs

Persian miniature A Persian miniature (Persian: نگارگری ایرانی ''negârgari Irâni'') is a small Persian painting on paper, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works called a ''muraqqa''. The ...

* Motifs ** Buta (ornament), a motif style ** , a flower-and-bird motif style **

Paisley (design) Paisley or paisley pattern is an ornamental textile design using the ''boteh'' ( fa, بته) or ''buta'', a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. Of Persian origin, paisley designs became popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuri ...

, a motif style **

Master of Animals The Master of Animals, Lord of Animals, or Mistress of the Animals is a motif in ancient art showing a human between and grasping two confronted animals. The motif is very widespread in the art of the Ancient Near East and Egypt. The figure may ...

Lion and Sun The Lion and Sun ( fa, شیر و خورشید, Šir-o xoršid, ; Classical Persian: ) is one of the main emblems of Iran (Persia), and was an element in Iran's national flag until the 1979 Iranian Revolution and is still commonly used by opp ...

Illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

* , a gilding and painting technique File:Mir Musavvir 002.jpg, example of a Persian miniature, "The Nightmare of Zahhak" (c. 1525–1535) File:Muraqqa-e Golshan (Page 217).jpg, example of Tashir File:001117 15-44-2002-To-grupper-rosa-Qajar-Fliser2.jpg, Gol o bolbol motif on earthenware tiles, from the Qajar-era File:Persian Silk Brocade - Paisley - Persian Paisley - Seyyed Hossein Mozhgani - 1963.jpg, Persian silk brocade with silver and gold thread, with paisley pattern

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persian Handicrafts Iranian culture