Yazd and Meibod, cities of handicrafts.

According to the different kinds of handicrafts done in Yazd and Meibod (two cities of Yazd province, located in eastern Iran) and perseverance done by the manager of Yazd province’s handicrafts administration, these two cities are going to be inscribed on the list of cities with national handicrafts.

Yazd

Yazd is an old city with a rich culture and history and it is known as the biggest adobe city, home to Zoroastrian people and the second historical city in the world. Besides historical and cultural features, different kinds of handicrafts especially traditional textiles are done in this city that will be mentioned in the following:

 Yazd rugs: Rug weaving is the main handicraft done in Yazd. Yazd rugs are woven with symmetrical knots and three wefts. The number of knots in square inch is lower than Isfahan or Nain rugs but the pile is softer due to the better wool, used in weaving. Most of Yazd rugs are designed with floral margins and curved lines, surrounding a big medallion at the center.

 Termeh: This is an extremely beautiful hand woven textile with the silk warp and woolen weft. The main patterns seen on this textile are “Botteh” (an ancient Iranian abstractive margin which looks like feather or cypress tree) and “Shah-Abbas” flower (an Iranian floral margin invented during Shah-Abbas’s kingdom), ornamented with gold and silver threads. Nowadays, “Termeh” is used as table cloths or cushions in little sizes.

 Zari: Zari is another old Iranian textile, made by twisting golden and colorful threads as warp and weft. In Sassanid era (224-651) making Zari textiles was so improved and some samples are still available in museums like Hermitage and Metropolitan. Today, Yazd is the center of producing attractive Zari textiles with traditional machines and they are ornamented with delicate floral margins.

 Makhmal (velvet): Makhmal is another traditional textile, produced in Yazd. This soft textile is made by silk and the wonderful Iranian margins, double its beauty.

Meibod

 Meibod is another historical city in Yazd province with an interesting old district and a rich culture. This city has two main handicrafts:

 Pottery: Meibod has a widespread pottery industry due to plenty of suitable clay available in the area. The potteries are famous because of their nice margins relevant with the desert climate. A shining sun with a woman’s face at the center and a little bird or a fish are usually painted on these clay dishes. Different kinds of tiles used in Yazd’s monuments in vivid colors like blue, navy blue, yellow, green and etc., are also made by potters of Meibod.

 Zilu: Zilu is a kind of carpet which is particularly woven in Meibod, since long time ago. The oldest piece of Zilu is now kept in Jaame mosque of Meibod. This two-faced, flat carpet is suitable for hot climate of the desert because it is made of cotton strings with no pile. The margins are simple and geometrical in only two colors. These carpets are widely used in the modern interior design.

         

"Zilu", a handwoven carpet.

people buying Termeh textiles.