Saad News: Embroidery is one of the types of needlework art that has existed in ancient Iranian arts since the past and is still used today.
Embroidery can be introduced as one of the types of needlework art that has existed in ancient Iranian arts from the past to the present and is still seen in some regions today. Embroidery artists, in order to apply this art on fabric, used silk and wool threads. They tried to create various designs and patterns using different stitches on the fabric with these types of threads. Generally, the embroidery on fabric is done in such a way that the fabric itself is not visible, and all you see are the patterns stitched with various threads and fine or thick needles.
The oldest known examples of this embroidery date back to the Seljuk era. (Unfortunately, no examples have been found from before the Seljuk period.) During the Mongol and Timurid periods, this art enjoyed relative popularity, and its peak, like many other forms of stitching and other arts, occurred during the Safavid era. From the Qajar period, beautiful embroidered belts have been found in Yazd. This beautiful embroidery can be seen in museums around the world and Iran, especially at the Tehran Museum of Decorative Arts.
The patterns used in this embroidery include: flowers and vines, birds and flowers, animals, various motifs, five-petaled and eight-petaled flowers, geometric designs, sacred symbols, straight and diagonal patterns, arm bands, Roman straps, Shamsa motifs, Shah Abbas Ikati flowers, Toranj, Ser Toranj, half Toranj, crowns, military motifs, and zigzag flowers on borders. This embroidery is also used for decorating women's pants, curtains, bundles, needlework, prayer rugs, waist shawls, belts, watch bands, Quran covers, purses, wrist bands, chair covers, tablecloths, paintings, book covers, cushions, and sofa covers.
First, the desired pattern is designed on paper, then punctured with a needle, and the pattern is transferred to the fabric using chalk powder or charcoal. After that, the stitching begins according to the pattern using double silk thread or, in some cases, single woolen thread, with diagonal stitching. First, the main lines of the pattern are stitched, and then the details are stitched. In the case of diagonal sacred patterns, the stitching can be done from left to right or from right to left. The stitches should always be diagonal and simple. In some of the patterns, the center of the borders and flower flags is stitched with golden thread. Care must be taken to ensure that the stitches are neatly aligned and the threads lay flat on the fabric. In this embroidery, a number of colors stand out, including turquoise, cream, pink, indigo, red, burgundy, mustard, grass green, rusty green, brown, brick, white, purple, orange, and yellow.
In ancient times, the main centers of this art were Yazd and Isfahan, and over time, it spread to other regions of Iran, such as Shiraz, Kashan, Khorasan, Kerman, Tabriz, and Urmia. However, Yazd has always been the leader in this art. Is this art practiced in your city as well? Share your thoughts with us.
