History of persian wicker handicrafts

As we said, mat weaving is one of the oldest arts of hand weaving created by humans by weaving and tying plant fibers. The artistic texture and the use of multi-colored fibers give versatility to this simple and original piece. Historically, the use of plant fibers to make things and meet the needs of daily life is older than the textile industry. The people of each region, depending on the plants in their environment, acquire the skill of making handicrafts from some kind of plant fibers. Carpet weaving is a large family of local weaving arts and includes other handicrafts such as Bahlavi, Turkbawi, Champavi, Chigbawi, bamboo weaving, pearl weaving and basket weaving.

The roots of this traditional art can be seen in many parts of the world such as Iran, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, Iraq, Korea, Japan, Mexico, etc., which is the origin of this art. But to this day, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, like the Egyptians, are more vulnerable than anywhere else in the world. It is said that the bamboo mat was the first carpet for mankind, and this shows the remarkable age of this beautiful handwoven tapestry.

What is wicker handicrafts?

Mat weaving is the process of twisting, weaving and twisting plant threads in different shapes in a simple and patterned way with the help of hands and feet. Due to the fact that the raw materials of mat weaving are found in abundance in the north and south of Iran and this art is in harmony with the climatic conditions of these two regions, the prevalence of mat weaving in these areas is more than in other parts of Iran.

This type of handicraft has attracted many people due to its abundant and cheap raw materials. Woven mat products are found as decorative accessories in many urban homes these days. Also, foreign tourists show great interest in buying these products.

The art of mat weaving is actually twisting and weaving plant threads together. These braids may be simple or patterned and done with the help of hands or feet.

wicker handicraftsin Iran

Along with countries like Japan, Korea and Mexico, Iran is one of the sixteen mat producing countries. The historical background of these products in Iran shows that the use of mats by ancient Iranians was not limited to underlays, and they also used mats to make dishes. Even today, unlike the main use of mats, i.e. mats, wicker containers are more popular among handicraft enthusiasts.

iran handicrafts

wicker handicrafts in the north of iran

Wicker baskets and mats are one of the most important handicrafts in northern Iran, and these wooden products are woven from Iran according to the type of plant fibers that can be grown in this region. Rice stalks and swamp reed stalks are mat weaving fibers in the north of Iran. “Suf” is one of the swamp fibers and after drying under the sun, this straw is considered one of the fibers used in the texture of the mattress. Also, “Lee” or “Gali” is another type of reed used in mat weaving that grows around the marsh. “Hemp” is one of the fibers grown in the fields for the purpose of weaving mats, and after the stem and leaves turn yellow, it is ready to be picked for use in weaving. After soaking and softening, the leaves of the willow tree become one of the plant fibers for mat weaving, and they are not only specific to the northern regions of Iran, but they are used in other regions as well.

In the northern regions, they use kloosh (rice stalks) and marsh reed stalks for mat weaving. Also, due to the considerable amount of mat production in these areas, some special mat weaving plants are grown in the fields. Some of these plants are:

Sof: It is one of the types of reeds that grow wild in marshes and has thick needle reeds. After cutting, these straws are exposed to the sun in bunches to dry and get the right color. These straws are used as a weft in the fabric of the mattress with the machine.

Hemp: It is a plant that is cultivated for mat weaving. When the stem and leaves turn yellow and the seeds turn black, the plant is ready to harvest. The harvested plant is kept dry for a day or two until it wilts, then it is kept for a while in the water of a pond or marsh until the skin is ready to be removed. Finally, the peeled plants are hung to be completely dry and usable. These fibers are used in the fabric of the mattress with the machine as a web.

Li or Gali: It is one of the types of reeds that grow wildly by the marshes and it is used in the production of wicker products other than mats.

 

wicker handicrafts in the south of Iran

In the south of Iran, according to the type of tropical climate, for the preparation of special plant fibers for the texture of wicker objects, palm leaves and swamp reeds are used. “Kartak” is one of the marsh reeds, whose long and flexible stem is one of its advantages for use in mat weaving. After picking and removing the leaves from above, these reeds were cut lengthwise and all over. Finally, all these beaten straws become strips suitable for mat production. “Daz” palm leaves are also widely used in mat weaving in the southern regions of Iran due to their good strength.

What is produced from mat weaving?

A wide variety of products are produced from woven mats, including baskets, baskets, hats, carpets, mats, curtains, and many different dishes.

Where is mat weaving produced in Iran?

Mat weaving is produced in the southern and northern regions of Iran because their raw materials are easily available, and the production of this product and handicraft is very popular in these regions.

One of the reasons why mat weaving is popular in these areas is the cheapness of raw materials and the availability of raw materials. Today, some of these products are used as functional and decorative objects in urban life.

Wooden braids are seen flat and with volume. Creating a role and its variety depends on the threads and how to pass them under, the color of mat weaving products depends on the natural color of their raw materials, although in some cases, some threads are dyed and used.

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Different types of mat weaving

According to the primary material used for weaving and the weaving method, mat weaving can be divided into the following categories:

• Mat weaving
• Bamboo weaving
• Marwarbafi
• Kapubafi

Classification of works produced in mat weaving:

According to the raw materials used in wicker products, their production process can have different names. For example, kapo weaving, pearl weaving and bamboo weaving are among these items. People who work in this field are well aware of the properties of each of these subcategories of woven mats and what products can be produced with their help.

What is cupobuffy and what is its use?

Kapu is one of the common handicrafts in the south of Iran and especially in the outskirts of Dezful city, and its primary material is palm leaves. Many Iranian and foreign travelers want to buy this product from traditional markets. This beautiful art can be found in the homes of many of us Iranians. For example, most Iranian women have one or two kapu for their pots in their kitchen. With more than 300 weavers, Duravantash handicrafts has the largest production volume of kapoh in Iran.

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History of persian wicker handicrafts :

One of the oldest handicrafts that has been popular in Iran is mat weaving. Archaeologists have found examples of this art in Mesopotamia and southern regions, and it has been proven that the first sub-scales used by the human race were reeds and swamp plants.

Of course, this is not the whole story! It is probably interesting for you to know that the city of Dezful is called the cradle of Kepu in Iran and it has also been registered as the city of Kepu.

Tools and tools for the art of mat weaving

Different tools can be used for mat weaving, but the most common tools are:

Mat weaving tool	Application of mat weaving
All kinds of knives and scissors	Cutting pieces of wood and plants
his door	Drilling, chipping or breaking wood
Metric and tape ruler	To measure wood
glue	Gluing and fixing the pieces of wood
water bowl	Soaking wood fibers
Gas or alcohol lamp	Burning the lint
cardboard	To draw the initial design and molding

What is the production method of mat weaving?

To make a mat, or so called mat weaving, the artist must go through several steps after choosing the raw materials (straw, palm leaves, willow tree branches, pomegranate tree branches, etc.), which are generally done according to the regional geography. . Since mat weaving is generally done with straw and palm leaves, in this article, we explain how to weave mats in both ways.

The reed branches in different lengths and diameters are picked from the marshes or the banks of the rivers using a sickle and the excess foliage is cut. Then, along the length of each reed, a slit is made using a knife or sickle. The straws are placed on top of each other in one place and then by hitting them and knocking them so to speak, the straws crack and crumble. By doing this, thin strips or strips of straw are created, and by weaving these strips, mat weaving is done. This model of mat weaving is mostly used to make underlay.

To use the leaves of date trees, they are first cut from the tree and then the leaves are separated from each other or filled. Then these leaves are placed in water until their color turns yellow. To speed up this step, sometimes boiling water is also used. The yellow leaves or palm tree strips are now ready to be woven and made into wicker containers.

To show their taste, artists sometimes use natural, chemical or thread colors to make the woven mat look better. Colored ink, or baqm, is applied to the mat as a natural color. This natural substance is available in green, purple, blue, and orange colors, and to achieve darker or brighter colors, some turmeric is added or added to it. Generally, the designs used in mat weaving are abstract and simple designs and are created by weaving mat strips. This means that the artists did not use pen and paint to color the mats, but by weaving different colors of the mats together, they create their desired design.

To weave woven mats, the mats are placed on top of each other in the form of warp and weft, and the skeins are woven together, one side and the other side. For a part of the container that is flat, the perpendicular strands are woven together (similar to knitting yarn). Mat weavers use different methods for the parts of the dish that have edges and the dish is not smooth. In one method, the mats are twisted diagonally to each other, and in other methods, they use new and circular threads to shape that part of the work.

wicker handicrafts training

The warp and weft of rattan weaves are flexible plant fibers that are woven together in a mesh or twisted form. Therefore, after preparing fibers from palm leaves, straw, thin pieces of willow, wheat stalk or rice, you should start the work. In the mesh method, you need strip fibers and after the necessary cuts and soaking, intertwine these flexible fibers as a warp and weft. During this process, you can continue the simple method of the checkered texture until the end or create more interesting works in some places with a little creativity in passing the fibers through each other or using other colors.

In the spiral weaving method, several strands of plant fibers must be woven together or wrapped around each other like a rope. Then you have to start from the center of the circle and with circular movements, pass this rope spirally from below on the base fibers. Beautiful baskets and hats are usually produced with the help of twist weave.

Of course, it goes without saying that the production of widely used wicker curtains is not woven with these two methods. Rather, they cut the marsh reeds to the same size and place them parallel to each other with specific distances. Finally, these straws are connected with thread and the edge of the straw curtain is covered with cotton cloths.

 

If you are interested in making rattan products, you can buy all kinds of these products with great variety and reasonable prices from Duravantash store.