ARDABIL ATTRACTIONS

Ardabil Province is one of the 31-provinces of Iran. It is in the northwest of the country, bordering the Republic of  Azarbayjan and the provinces of East Azarbayjan, Zanjan, and Gilan. Its center is the city of Ardabil. The province was established in 1993 from the eastern part of East Azarbayjan.

Many tourists come to the region for its cool climate during the hot summer months. The winters are bitterly cold. Its famous natural region is the Sabalan Mountains. The province is considered the coldest province and many large parts of the province are green and forested.

Shah Ismail I Statue
Shah Ismail I Statue

The natural features of the province of Ardabil are mentioned in the Avesta, according to which Zoroaster was born by the river Aras and wrote his book in the Sabalan Mountains. During the Islamic conquest on Iran, Ardabil was the largest city in Azarbayjan, and remained so until the Mongol invasion period. Shah Ismail1 started his campaign to nationalize Iran’s government and land from here, but consequently announced Tabriz as his capital in 1500 CE. Yet Ardabil remained an important city both politically and economically until modern times.

 

Shahidgah
Shahidgah

Ardabil is the sanctuary of Sheikh Safi ad-Adin, eponym of the Safavid Dynasty. It has many hot springs and natural landscapes which attract tourists. In the Safavid period, Ardabil was the most important city of Iran both politically and economically. The city of Ardabil located on the trade crossroads between Europe and the East, played a critical role in the safety of the Silk Road. The province is still strategically important with respect to tourism and trade. The city of Ardabil now is one of the most important cities of the province and Iran for its many historical monuments, specially the Safavid family’s mausoleums and tombs, its location near many thermal springs with therapeutic virtues, and location on the main access road to the Republic of Azarbayjan. These have turned the city to a tourism center, which is visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Reference:

Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism Organization of Iran, Iran Travel guide. Iran: 2018

 

 

Zeitun Parvarde (Marinated Olive)

Ingredients:

Seedless olive: 500 gram.

Pomegranate paste: 2 modulus.

Minced walnut: 300 gram.

Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons.

Dried mint: 1 tablespoon.

Dried thyme: 1 tablespoon.

Pomegranate seeds: 2 tablespoons.

Olive oil: 2 tablespoons.

North of Iran marinated olive is preparing with pomegranate paste, walnut, olive oil, local vegetables and additives as same as dried pomegranate seeds. It is better to buy dried pomegranate seeds and tomato paste from the north of Iran until you understand the real taste.  There are some alternative vegetables that they can consume instead of north vegetables…

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How to prepare marinated olive

If the olives were salty or sour soak them for one hour in the water (if it comes to be in the water for more times it will lose its real taste).

Pour olives in the drain and after it lost its additional water pour them in the big bowl.

Mix pomegranate paste, lemon juice, and olives together very well, add the other materials either and after they mixed together very well put the bowl in the refrigerator and let them be cool.

Marinated olive colour

If using more walnut for preparing the marinated olive, the mixture will have the lighter colour and if using more pomegranate paste it will have vice versa result and the marinated olive will have the darker colour.

Pasargadae

Pasargadae is region in 120 km Shiraz, which Iranians and the people of around the world know by Cyrus the Great and Achaemenid rule. Cyrus the Great has chosen Pasargadae as the capital of his government, and according to the Roman historian, caving and the inscriptions of the palace, it can be understood that he ordered to build this area. This complex was registered in 2004 on the UNESCO World Heritage List and includes palaces, Cyrus the great tomb, Cambyses tomb and Mozaffari’s caravanserai.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great

Cyrus is the great king of history who calls him as a wise king and he is popular among all the people of the world. The tomb of Cyrus is the most well-known building in the area and many tourists all around Iran and whole the world come to Pasargadae to visit it. In the past, the tomb of Cyrus was among the royal gardens, and now it remains after 25 centuries. A magnificent and normal building made by limestone which has 6 steps and a room with a sloping roof over it. It should be noted that the construction of this building has not been used any mortar and what is connected the rocks is a special type of clamp, which at that time was a popular technique. There are different opinions about the architectural style of the tomb. Some believe that this style originates from Greek, Minor Asia, Egyptian, Elamite, Middle Rhode and Iranian architecture.

 This room was for the Maintenance of Cyrus body and looted by Alexander’s invasion and then all the objects inside it were plundered. Before Islam the tomb of Cyrus was the coronation of the kings, but this place changed with the Arab invasion of Iran as its name changed to the tomb of the mother of Prophet Solomon. Then the tomb became a holy place where many people came to pilgrimage and so they built a mosque and caravanserai near it.

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The tomb of Cambyses

In the northern part of the Pasargadae palaces there is the Cambyses’ tomb or Alexander’s Prison. There are different opinions about this building, and since only one wall remains, there can be no doubt about its use. However, some scholars attribute it to the tomb of Cambyses, the father of Cyrus, some others believe in Cassandra the wife of Cyrus and some believe that this monument have been the royal or religious treasury of Cyrus.

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The Bar-e Am Palace

The Bar-e Am Palace was the place where the king met and welcomed his guests. In this palace, discussions were held on issues such as freedom, human rights and equality, and it was the kind of first United Nations center. Cyrus’s Cylinder first appeared in this place. The reliefs of this palace are symbolically employed, for example combination relief of human and cattle is a symbol of blessing and the combination relief of man and fish is a symbol of human domination over water.

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Mozaffari Caravanserai

The Mozafari Caravanserai is located near the tomb of Cyrus, which dates back to Al-Muzaffar. The caravanserai has a number of small and large rooms that are used by the Cyrus Castle to build it. Gypsum mortar has been used to connect the rocks, and in some cases even mortar has not been used. The caravanserai is located eastward and behind it.

Dowlat Abad Garden

Dowlat Abad Garden was built at the end of the Afsharieh period as an accommodation for Yazd ruler, Mohammad Taghi Khan Bafghi. At that time the garden was out of town and mass trees created an  pleasant atmosphere and were prevented the mansion being seen from outside. The trees continued at 5 meters and 20 kilometers long and was called “Hezar Derakht” (thousand trees). The urban space grew gradually so that Dowlat Abad Garden was located in the center of the city during the Pahlavi period.For providing water to the garden, one of longest qanat in Yazd were delved at a distance of 65 km, from Mehriz. This qanat plays a key role in the greenery and refreshment of the garden and also used for agricultural lands.Dowlat Abad Garden has used as an accommodation and governmental garden composed of two parts:An outer garden used for government and ceremonial purposes and an inner garden used as a residence and private sector.

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In the following, we will explain the different sections of the outer and inner gardens:

Inner Garden (Andarooni)

Hashti Mansion: This octagonal mansion is the most important building at the end of the garden. In this building, Iranian architects have used the water and climate mechanism to air moderate and condition and for this reason were called summer mansion.

Windcatcher: The Dowlat Abad Garden with a height of 33.8 is the world’s tallest Windcatcher. Below of this octagonal Windcatcher there is a pool when air passes through it, creates the water and climate mechanism and causes coolness around it. Inside the house there is decorating in roof, doors and windows. You can also the garden with fantastic view from the second floor.

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Tanabi Hall is located in west of Hashti Mansion which there is an underground which joins to under of Windcatcher.

Behesht Aein is located opposite of Hashti Mansion. This building is a winter mansion built to the south to sun and make warm. The characteristics of Iranian monuments are four seasons.

Outer garden

A small rectangle with different parts which is located in the northern part of the garden and was used for governmental ritual, inhabitation of caravans and sports events.

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After the death of Mohammad Taqi Khan, the garden was t ruined and despite the repairs that took place it did not return to its previous position. Nonetheless, the Dowlat Abad garden is still shining in the desert like Emerald.

In 2011, Dowlat Abad Garden was registered as one of the Iranian gardens in the UNESCO Organization.

Chehel Sotoun

Chehel Sotoun is one of the ruins of the Safavid dynasty in the city of Isfahan, which is also known as the museum-garden. In fact, this garden is a small part of the Jahannama vast garden that Shah Abbas I created core of the Chehel Sotun palace by creation a palace in the midst of that with small rooms around it.

The main porch is based on twenty pillars. Many researchers recognize the palace’s appellation as a reflection of twenty pillars on a beautiful and large pool. Of course, the role of the number 40 in Persian literature (this number is a sign of plurality) may also be another reason for calling the mansion to be forty pillars.

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This Imperial Garden was used to welcome guests in ceremonies and celebrations. Then, with the start of the Monarchy of King Abbas II, the seventh king of Safavid, the Chehel sotun mansion was enlarged and added forums and porches. These include the Mirror Hall, the Eighteenth Column Hall, Two large north and south rooms. Mirror Hall, the porches on the sides of the king’s hall and the great pool in front of the Hall with all the decorations of painting, mirroring, tiling of the walls and ceilings. The large hall of the palace during the Shah Abbas II have also been the welcome lodges for official meeting. The palace opened in 1056 AH (1642 AD) with the presence of Shah Abbas II and foreign ambassadors.
The architecture of this palace is a combination of Chinese, European, and Persian art and architecture. It consists of a main porch with a length of 38 meters, a width of 17 meters and a height of 14 meters which is made eastward. The pillars of this octagonal porch are wood of plantain and pine. Four pillars are located on four stone lion. From the mouth of these four stone lion, erupted water into the Marble Dock Hall.

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The other part, which is slightly higher, forms the entrance to the hall, and in some respects it is called the mirror hall. It is located on two pillars and is adorned with a wide Mirroring. The ceiling of the hall is made of wooden frames and in various geometric shapes.

The central hall of the palace, dedicated to foreign guests and characters from other countries, contains paintings that present the historical events of different periods. This magnificent hall, which is based on a dome, with colorful and golden designs, are the masterpieces of this era.

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The paintings in the palace central hall which some of them were painted in the Qajar era, include the party of Shah Abbas I and II, and Shahtasmasb with the Turks and India kings, as well as the war of Shah Ismail I with Uzbakan. Two other images, one opposite to the entrance to the hall and the other to it, show the Chaldoran War during the time of Shah Isma’il I and the Karnal War in the era of Nader Shah Afshar.

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The Historic City of Yazd

The Historic City of Yazd is a traditional earthen city where life has been adapted to its desert location, most notable via the water system of the qanats.

Yazd is a city with a long history dating back to the Achaemenid era and was located along the Silk and Spice Roads. It prospered from trade.

With its numerous badgirs (wind towers) rising above a labyrinth of adobe roofs, the historic city of Yazd is one of the oldest towns on earth. It encompasses thousands of ancient dwellings, screened from the narrow lanes by imposing mud walls. For the visitor, the old city offers a treasure trove of hidden courtyards and teahouses, shops selling crafts and houses converted into atmospheric hotels. Altogether, it is one of Iran’s don’t miss sights.

The historical structure of Yazd is a collection of public-religious architecture in a very large scope comprising of different Islamic architectural elements of different periods in a harmonious combination with climatic conditions.

With its winding lanes, forest of badgirs, mud-brick houses and delightful places to stay, Yazd is a ‘don’t miss’ destination. On a flat plain ringed by mountains, the city is wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and southern Dasht-e Lut and is every inch a city of the desert. It may not have the big-ticket sights of Esfahan or Shiraz, but, with its atmospheric alleyways and centuries of history, it exceeds both in its capacity to enchant. Yazd warrants a lazy approach – rambling around the maze of historic lanes (referred to locally as Yazd’s ‘historical texture’), popping into random teahouses or pausing to work out calligraphic puzzles in the city’s exquisite tilework.

Originally settled 5000 years ago, Yazd has an interesting mix of people, 10% of whom follow the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. An elegant ateshkadeh (fire temple) near the city center shelters an eternal flame and visitors are welcome.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the historical structure of Yazd in central Iran to its list of world heritage sites.

Almost 200 hectares of the city’s 2,270-hectare historical texture now boast world heritage status.

Yazd is now the only UNESCO-listed Iranian city where people still live. It is also believed to be the world’s largest inhabited adobe city.

Persian Poet Hafez-e Shirazi + Biography

Persian lyric Poet Hafez-e Shirazi (1315-1390) grew up in Shiraz. Very little is known about his life. Many semi-miraculous mythical tales were woven around Hafez after his death. It is said that by listening to his father’s recitations, Hafez had accomplished the task of learning the Quran by heart at an early age (that is the meaning of the word Hafez). At the same time, he is said to have known by heart the works of Rumi, Saadi, Farid ud-Din, and Nizami.

Let not the pious judge the meek;
Each for his own deeds will speak.
Whether I’m good or bad, you judge yourself;
You reap what you sow, find what you seek.
Everyone is seeking love, sober or drunk;
Everywhere a house of love, yet so unique.
I submit my head on the tavern’s bricks,
If you don’t understand, just take a peek.
Let me keep my hope of eternal grace,
Behind the veil, who is good, who the freak?
Not only I fell out of virtuous path,
My father too, treaded that path oblique.
Hafiz, on your deathbed, bring the cup to your cheek.
You go from the tavern straight to the heaven’s peak.

Ghazal 80 | Hafiz

Divane-Hafez

The Life of Hafez-e Shirazi

When his father died, he left school to work at a bakery and as a copyist. There, he first saw Shakh-e Nabat, a woman of great beauty, to whom some of his poems are addressed. Ravished by her beauty but knowing that his love for her would not be requited, he allegedly held his first mystic vigil in his desire to realize this union. Still, Hafez-e Shirazi encountered a being of surpassing beauty who identified himself as an angel, and his further attempts at union became mystic; a pursuit of spiritual union with the divine. A Western parallel is that of Dante and Beatrice.

Hafez-e Shirazi was a Persian poet whose collected works (The Divan) are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and still use them as proverbs and sayings.His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author. Themes of his Ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Persian speakers can be found in “Hafez readings” and the frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art, and Persian calligraphy. His tomb is visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of his poems exist in all major languages.

Divan-e-Hafiz

Though Hafez-e Shirazi is well known for his poetry, he is less commonly recognized for his intellectual and political contributions. A defining feature of Hafez’ poetry is its ironic tone and the theme of hypocrisy, widely believed to be a critique of the religious and ruling establishments of the time. Persian satire developed during the 14th century, within the courts of the Mongol Period. In this period, Hafez and other notable early satirists, such as Ubayd Zakani, produced a body of work that has since become a template for the use of satire as a political device. Many of his critiques are believed to be targeted at the rule of Amir Mobarez Al-Din Mohammad, specifically, towards the disintegration of important public and private institutions. He was a Sufi Muslim.

His work, particularly his imaginative references to monasteries, convents, Shahneh, and muhtasib, ignored the religious taboos of his period, and he found humor in some of his society’s religious doctrines. Employing humor polemically has since become a common practice in Iranian public discourse and Persian satire is now perhaps the de facto language of Iranian social commentary.

Goethe
The encounter of Goethe with Hafiz’s ghazals became so inspiring to Goethe, that he produced his own West-östlicher Diwan and “led the way to the discovery of Persian poetry by the Romantics”, according to Shusha Guppy. In the spring of 1814, Goethe received a German translation of Ḥāfeẓ’s divān in two volumes from the publisher Cotta of Stuttgart. The translator was the Austrian Orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (1774-1856), whose translations and commentaries played a major role in acquainting Germans with the East. Hammer’s translation of the divān broadened and expanded the knowledge of the Orient which Goethe had acquired in his youth, so that he could now, at the age of 65, devote himself more intensively to the East, and predominantly to Persia.

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At 60, he is said to have begun a Chilla-nashini, a 40-day-and-night vigil by sitting in a circle that he had drawn for himself. On the 40th day, he once again met with Zayn al-Attar on what is known to be their fortieth anniversary and was offered a cup of wine. It was there where he is said to have attained “Cosmic Consciousness”. He hints at this episode in one of his verses in which he advises the reader to attain “clarity of wine” by letting it “sit for 40 days”.

Hafiz’s tomb is in Musalla Gardens, along the banks of Ruknabad river in Shiraz, which is referred to as Hafezieh.

Now please watch a clip of tomb of Hafez with a music of his poems by Mohammad Reza Shajarian, enjoy it !

Persian plasterwork and Decoration With Mirrors

GACH-BORI, plasterwork or stucco, has been used as a building material in Persia for more than 2,500 years. Originally it may have been applied as a rendering to mud brick walls to protect them from the weather, but it was soon exploited for its decorative effects, as it alleviates the bleakness of brick and rubble walls and provides a ground for applied decoration. A cheap and flexible medium of decoration, it can be secured to almost any material of construction used for exterior and interior surfaces and can be molded, carved, and painted in a wide variety of ways. Stucco was also used for window and balcony grilles and to construct muqarnas (stalactite) vaults. In the hands of Persian craftsmen, this humble material reached unsurpassed heights of artistic creativity.

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Stucco (plaster, painted plaster, gachbori), a versatile medium of decoration, though not unknown in earlier periods in Persia, was widely used from the Parthian until the late Qajar periods in all types of architecture.

Gypsum, the mineral from which plaster is made, was widely available. Traditionally, the quarried gypsum was sent on donkey back to the kiln where it was burned, crushed with wooden mallets to the size of hazelnuts, and pulverized in a edge–runner mill. Persian gypsum sets rapidly after being mixed with water, so to make it workable the mixture must be stirred constantly until it loses most of its setting power. This “killed” plaster (gach-e koshte) is applied to walls and ceilings in several coats and does not set hard for forty-eight hours. For fine stucco work, the wet plaster is dusted with powdered talc and gypsum and then rubbed to give a high gloss. For painted surfaces, the plaster is soaked with linseed oil and coated with sandarac oil.

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Plaster, known as early as the Neolithic period, became common by Achaemenid times. Achaemenid palaces at Persepolis had brick walls rendered with a fairly thick coat of plaster, which was often painted with earth colors, and the columns of the Treasury Hall had a plaster coating applied to a layer of reed rope coiled around the wooden core.

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The Islamic period. While Sasanian stucco was to a large extent molded, especially as square plaques used in a repetitive manner, Islamic stucco was carved by hand. After the end of the Sasanian empire, a number of buildings in the Ray-Varamin region underwent changes in their architectural decoration during the Omayyad period which seem to hint at both a continuity and a change.

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Mirror Work

Art of mirrors is surely one of the most delicate architectural decorations in Islamic-Iranian civilization. It is an art defined as forming regulated shapes in various designs and images with small and big pieces of mirror, for decorating interior surfaces of a construction. This artistic style, gives way to a bright and highly shining atmosphere created upon consecutive reflections of light in numerous mirror pieces. As the historical texts testify, this fine and delicate art is surely an invention of Iranian architectures. It seems that some researchers attribute the first appearance of art of mirrors in Iranian architecture in decorating the Porch House of Shah Tahmasib Safavid (1524-1576 A.D.) in Qazvin.

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This art that seems, like other Iranian architectural inventions to be invented by the Iranian genius architectures kept moving in the post Safavid era and reached its climax at Ghajar era in constructing saloons like Mirror Saloon of Golestan Palace and especially in constructing religious and holy monuments. In this period, some amazing and exceptional buildings such as Darolsiadah at Astan Ghods Razavi (in 1275 Hejira), Darolsoroor at Hazrat Masoumeh (peace be upon her) shrine in Qum and the architecture of roof of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) shrine, were constructed by using art of mirrors. It was in the very period that small pieces of mirrors in triangle, rhombus, hexagon, etc. Shapes were widely used instead of applying big and flat ones though application of this method dates back to applying colorful rhombus-like glasses and small pieces of mirrors to decorate the roof and walls of the porch and saloon in addition to applying full-length mirrors at Chehelsotoon Palace. As Olearious has mentioned applying some hundreds of small pieces of mirrors in a regular and so artistic way in his account.

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Tools and Materials Working Mirror Work

Materials used in mirror art include glue mirrors, isinglass glue and soft plaster. The tools used in the mirror art include design pens, a wooden ruler for putting on a glass, a table under the hand, a glass cutter

Mirrors were very significant and unique metaphors in theosophical and mystical texts in clarifying the proportion between the Right and the creation or manifestation of plurality from unity, and Einol Ghozat Hamedani believed it was merely through mirrors that the Divine beauty and majesty could be realized and studied:

“Alas! You do not percept what I mean. God is light of heavens and earth. The beauty of the prophet Mohammad is merely seen by mirror otherwise, eyes would burn. By mirror, the beauty of sun could be constantly studied and since it is impossible to see the beloved without mirror, she should be seen veiled. Love is doomed to be veiled and mirror is nothing but the majesty and greatness of God”

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The Mirror Hall in Golestan Palace

The hall has been renowned as the Mirror Hall for its exquisite mirroring on walls and ceilings, which lasted for four years under the supervision of Iranian artists. On the mirrors, there is a beautiful Stucco art. The carpet of this hall is one of the masterpieces of carpet art in Mashhad, 70 square meters, 70 rows, is of the works of Abdull Mohammad Amo’oqli.

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Gereh-chini & Orosi-sazi

Two kinds of stained glass work became common in Iran: Gereh-chini (decorative wood lattice) and Orosi-sazi (sash-style).

This is one of the branch of architectures and traditional tiling. Gereh is an Islamic decorative art form used in architecture and handicrafts (book covers, tapestry, small metal objects), consisting of geometric lines that form an interlaced strap-work. In Iranian architecture, Gereh-chini patterns were seen in banna’i brickwork, stucco, and mosaic faience work. Gereh has been defined as “geometric (often star-and-polygon) designs composed upon or generated from arrays of points from which construction lines radiate and at which they intersect.

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Gereh is the Persian word for “knot” and refers to the complex system of geometric patterns that emerge upon the specific arrangement of 5 fundamental tiles: the decagon, the bowtie, the rhombus, the hexagon and the pentagon. Medieval Islamic designers used this patterning system to form elaborate and breathtaking architectural pieces at least 500 years before Western mathematics was able to define the technique. This art need to spending more time and also more money, so the Muslims try to decorate their holy shrines by that. The geometric design “Gereh”, was widely used to decorate Islamic buildings.

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The set of five Gereh tiles decorated with lines that fit together to make regular patterns first appeared about 1200 AD, a time when Islamic mathematics was flowering. The designs grew increasingly complex, and by the 15th century produced near-perfect Penrose patterns found on the Darb-i Imam shrine in Isfahan, Iran.

Sash-Window Making (Orosi-Sazi)

The Orosi Iran is a typical architectural element. It is a lattice window. In this type of art is not operated in any nail or glue: all the images, and the figures are obtained by means of the connection of small wooden junctions, operated with the interlocking male and female. The Orosi have generally rectangular shape; the upper part (located under the roof), adorned with pieces of colored glass, was completed in the usual rectangular shape, half-moon-shaped or barrel-shaped. This type of door or window, widely distributed in tropical areas, had the purpose of regulating and mitigate the sunlight in those particularly exposed homes. However, the use of this art was more or less even spread to other areas

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The best examples of the Gereh-chini and Orosi of this art are the ancient homes of Isfahan, Kashan, Shiraz and Yazd include the Chehelsotun, Hasht-Behesht (Eight Heaven), Alam’s House, Sheikh Al-Islam House, Sookias house, Tabatabai’s house, Abbasian house, Borujerdi’s house. Nowadays, Sanandaj is to hold the primacy of this art in the western part of the country.

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque where frames of wood and panels of glass are set next to each other in mostly geometrical designs. The refraction of light through the windows creates a stimulating and beautiful atmosphere.

Function of the reticular surface of the Orosi windows:

Orosi windows reduces the power of the radiation and the heat of the sun, no less no more, allows the view of outer space, gives beauty to the facade of the building and protects the privacy of private spaces. From the psychological point of view, the various colors of the glass in the Orosi windows and the creation of their colored lights on human impact, which each color next to the other color neutralizes the effect and adjusts its appropriate amount. Most of the colors used in artistic glass are azure colors of red and green, each of which alone has a distinct psychological impact.

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The surface of the Orosi windows is arranged using a variety of different rows of elements, with colorful and simple glasses, and create innovative combinations, making the harmony between these geometric grids and colored lights create a charming beauty.

The colored glasses of the Orosi windows create colorful lights, preventing and disturbing insects from the outer space of the rooms (the colored glass, giving rise to colorful lights, stray and repel insects).

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Ghalamkar; the Art Creation of a Role on a Linen Cloth

Ghalamkar (Calico) is one of the oldest crafts of ancient Persian which was in the peak of fame for centuries. This sort of cloth is prepared of pure cotton. The Calico (Ghalamkar) implies the creation of a role on a linen cloth, which today is also done on other pieces. The art of printing on the cloth.

The material was called Ghalamkari (brushwork) because of the technique employed in executing it. The word is derived from the Persian words Ghalam (pen) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen (Ghalamkar). ČĪT or Chit cotton cloth decorated with block-printed or painted designs in multiple colors. The term čīt passed into English as “chintz”, now the common designation for any cotton or linen furnishing fabric printed with floral designs in fast colors.

‏The History of Ghalamkar

These fabrics date back to the Sassanid period, the fourth Iranian dynasty and the second Persian Empire (224 – 651 CE). In the 10th century Isfahan was the capital of the kingdom at the time and this art was one of the most important branches of arts in Isfahan province. Bazaar was the center for the artists of Ghalamkar and there were many workshops in the Isfahan market.

This art was very common in the 11th century AH, in the Safavid period, expanded and continued until the Qajar period. One of the most important reasons for this was Shah Abbas’s interest to this art.

During this era, the royals and the elite wore the most exquisite gold and silver threaded “Parcheh Ghalamkar” – Calico garments produced by the artists of the time. The most of artist and industrial came to Isfahan from city of Iran. They start to produce a different handicraft.

These kinds of cloth are very famous in that era. Different types of Calico (Ghalamkar) produced and most men’s and women’s clothing made by it. In the past, Ghalamkar fabrics have served multiple purposes. The Safavid Kings, nobles, and the upper class, wore Ghalamkar silk and cotton clothes ornamented with gold and silver. The fabrics were also used to decorate the interior, frequently utilized as curtains, bedspreads, and wall coverings.

Today’s talented Persian artists hand-produce some splendid Parcheh Ghalamkar – printed textile for various uses such as women’s and men’s clothing, scarves, purses, wallets, decorative table cloths and mats, etc. The city of Isfahan is presently the main center for the creation of printed calico in Persia. Persian handmade upholstery, Calico Printing tablecloth (dinner, kitchen, coffee table, end table) and bed cover in a verity of sizes and designs, 100% Cotton, Organic Color. About Ghalamkar Upholstry: The hand-printed fabric is made in the city of Isfahan, the cultural capital of Iran.

Persian Block-Printing

Usually the cloth used in this art are: Cotton, Silk and Flax.

The most important designs in the art are: Historical sights such as the magnificent palaces of Persepolis, Wild and Domestic animals, Miniature, flowers and bushes, Old Persian Fiction Stories, Poem inscriptions, Topics and historical events, Ashura Epic Stories. Colors in the past have been a variety of natural colors, including plant colors, animal colors and mineral colors. But today, due to the difficult stages of the preparation of natural colors, chemical colors use.

Today, the finest fabrics of Calico (Ghalamkar) is in the beautiful and historic city of Isfahan, as well as the cities of Shiraz and Tehran market. The cotton is being printed using patterned wooded stamps. Each shape is stamped several times with different colored stamps, and the final shape is formed by precisely overlaying colored stamps on top of each other. There are four major colors in the production of Ghalamkar. Four of them are natural (mineral) colors, . After printing, the fabric is boiled in the water to stabilize the color, then is washed in a river (that enhances the color), is boiled again in water, and finally is dried under natural sun light in the riverside. of sizes and design.

Materials and Methods Used colors in GhalamKari: Red and Black are two basic colors used to paint the GhalamKari fabrics. In making black color some materials such as: Gum tragacanth, Iron Oxide, Black alum, Castor oil and for Red color materials such as Rose, Sesame oil, Alum, and Gum tragacanth are used. Sometimes mixed colors such as cobalt blue, green, yellow and brown colors are appropriately used.

Used materials: Calico makers use a wide range of materials, but the mostly used materials are as follows; Unbleached Calico, Long Cloth, Pomegranate peel, Gum tragacanth, herbal dyes such as, white alum, Indigo blue and Glycerine.

Wooden Frames

Gradually, to meet the high demand, the Ghalamkar artists began using wooden frames and stamps that were mostly made from old peach trees. This technique drastically expedited the printing process and enabled the artists to create homogeneous patterns.

Often to build seals or template for Ghalamkar, they used pear wood or kavij for high strength of the wood. After purchasing the woods, they cut them into pieces ten centimeters and exposed to the sun for three years, until completely dry. Also, for each template they used three pieces of wood, this is because over time template does not twist. Then they transfer design on the wood and engraved it by especial tools.

Step by Step to the Final Product

To produce Ghalamkar cloth (figured calico or cretonne), first the cloth must be prepared. this is done by first putting the cloth in a pool for about five days. then, the cloth is bumped hard into a stony surface so that its extra materials get out of its texture. Then, it is left in sunlight to dry and after that put into a combination of pomegranate skin and some other herbal materials so that its color turns yellow. now, the cloth is ready for printing images and patterns onto it to become a cretonne in its final shape.

Printing images on the cloth is done with the use of pre-fabricated templates. The surface of the stamp is saturated with color and then placed on the cloth with precision and order. Then, the stamp is tapped a few times by hand so that the image gets transferred onto the cloth in a perfect manner. Now, it is time to fix the colors onto the cloth. This is done by boiling the cloth in hot water with the addition of a number of certain materials. However, the additives used vary in response to the color that is used in the cloth.

How to Buy a Good Ghalamkar

You have to pay a close attention to the patterns and images on the cloth. In a Ghalamkar cloth with low quality, the patterns and images are not transferred onto the cloth properly and, technically speaking, in low-quality figured calicos there is color dispersion. The higher quality Ghalamkars are thicker and the authentic ones have a lacinated or torn-shaped and curved edge.

Warnings and Cautions

  • Buy such items from the credible stores where Iranian handicrafts are sold.
  • Do not wash your Ghalamkar with strong wishing materials and do not put them in the washing machine. This is because washing them with water, shampoo, and hand prolongs their useful life.

The exalted art of Ghalamkar is a symbol of longevity, love, and resilience of an ancient tradition that through many peaks and troughs, has been passed to us generation after generation, and heart to heart but It seems that after the pinnacle of popularity, this tradition has entered a stagnant stage and if not for the artists, the legacy may not have survived.

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