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, uz, zardoʻzi), is an
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 ...
ian,
Indian-subcontinent and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
n embroidery type. Zardozi comes from two Persian words: ''zar'' or ''zarin'' meaning 'gold', and ''dozi'' meaning 'sewing'.
Zardozi is a type of heavy and elaborate metal embroidery on a silk, satin, or velvet fabric base.
Designs are often created using gold and silver threads and can incorporate pearls, beads, and precious stones. It is used as decoration for a wide range of applications, including clothes, household textiles, and animal trappings.
Historically, it was used to adorn the walls of royal tents, scabbards, wall hangings and the paraphernalia of regal elephants and horses.
Initially, the embroidery was done with pure silver wires and real gold leaves. However, today, craftsmen make use of a combination of copper wire, with a golden or silver polish, and silk thread.
Iran
Zardozi is an important
handicraft in Persian culture. It is known around the country by names such as ''zar-douzi'' ( fa, زردوزی), ''kam-douzi'' ( fa, کمدوزی), ''gol-douzi'' ( fa, گلدوزی) and ''kaman-douzi'' ( fa, کماندوزی). Nowadays it is more popular in
Hormozgan, especially in
Bandar-e Lenge,
Bandar-e Abbas
Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musa ...
, and
Minab.
Persian zardozi is of three kinds:
* Some people completely sew the basic fabric with Bakhie ( fa, بخیه) in order to produce novel patterns and colors, such as the
Baloch's Souzan-douzi ( fa, سوزندوزی),
Rasht's Qollab-douzi ( fa, قلابدوزی) and
Kerman's Pate-douzi ( fa, پَتهدوزی).
* Some sew with less density of work on the original fabric. They cross the strings throughout the woof of the fabric and sew them to each other to form a colorfully patterned lattice, such as ''sekke-douzi'' ( fa, سکّهدوزی) or ''qollab-douzi'' ( fa, قلابدوزی) in
Isfahan.
* A third way is to sew a variety of patterns on the original fabric with gold and silver strings, such as ''Dah-Yek-Douzi'' ( fa, دهيکدوزی), Naqade-douzi ( fa, نقدهدوزی), Tafte-douzi ( fa, تافتهدوزی), Kous-douzi ( fa, خوسدوزی) Zari-douzi ( fa, زردوزی) or Golabatoun-douzi ( fa, گلابتوندوزی).
Indian subcontinent
Gold embroidery has existed in the subcontinent since the time of the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only on ...
, between 1500 and 1200 BC. It prospered during the 17th century during the reign of the
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
, but later a loss of royal patronage and
industrialization
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
led to its decline. The craft began to experience a resurgence in popularity following
India's independence in 1947.
Today, zardozi is popular in the Indian cities of
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
,
Farrukhabad,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
. In 2013, the
Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded
Geographical Indication (GI) registration to the Lucknow zardozi. With GI status, zardozi artisans, distributors, and retailers in Lucknow and the six surrounding districts of
Barabanki,
Unnao
Unnao is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Unnao district and a part of Lucknow division, between Kanpur and Lucknow. Unnao is a large industrial city with three industrial suburbs around it ...
,
Sitapur,
Rae Bareli,
Hardoi and
Amethi can become authorized users of the "Lucknow Zardozi" brand and carry a unique mark of authenticity.
Zardozi is a popular embroidery choice across
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
especially for wedding or formal wear, with artisans and couture houses alike producing clothing with zardozi work
Central Asia
Zardozi has also been present in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
and
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
since ancient times.
References
External links
*
{{Clothing in South Asia
Culture of Lucknow
Embroidery in India
Pakistani embroidery
Turkish embroidery
Azerbaijani embroidery
Kuwaiti embroidery
Iraqi embroidery
Persian embroidery
Persian handicrafts
Iranian clothing
Persian words and phrases
Economy of Lucknow
Tajikistani culture
Uzbekistani culture