Yaraq Doozi Is One Of The Handicrafts That Has A Beautiful Appearance, And We Want To Explore This Art With Saed News.
“Yaraq” literally means ribbons woven with fine white and gold wires. Sewing yaraq with a specific design onto fabric, clothing, or other items is called “Yaraq Doozi” (Yaraq embroidery). Yaraq Doozi is one of the most beautiful arts, with many Iranian artists engaged in it.
Today, many types of yaraq can be found, woven by special machines in various sizes and widths. Since the Safavid era and afterward, yaraq has been sewn onto fabric along with other decorative items such as beads, stones, and sequins, greatly enhancing the fabric’s beauty. Today, yaraq doozi is used in embroidery to decorate clothing, Quran covers, prayer rugs, curtains, and coverings for the shrines of sacred places.
History
This type of embroidery has been common in Iran since before Islam. Research shows that this art was prevalent during the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid eras. In the Islamic period, yaraq continued to adorn fabrics. In the Jame al-Tawarikh illustrations, decorations on clothing are visible, including yaraq sewn on the upper torso, especially on the chest. These patterns indicate the popularity of yaraq doozi during the Ilkhanid era. From the Safavid period onward, yaraq was combined with other decorative materials; it was sewn onto the desired areas and then decorated with sequins, colorful beads, filigree, pearls, and stones. Sometimes, techniques like naqdah doozi and golabatoon doozi were used to attach yaraq to clothing, and sometimes colorful naqdah threads were used to embellish it. Historically, yaraq was made of gold and silver and woven using wooden looms or special combs. Today, its weaving is machine-made, and gold and silver are no longer used.
Yaraq With Various Designs
Before defining yaraq doozi more fully, it is good to become familiar with yaraq itself. Yaraq refers to handwoven or machine-woven ribbons made from gold, silver, silk, or other precious threads. After lining the fabric for a neater finish, yaraq doozi is performed in two ways:
After lining the fabric, you gently fix the yaraq onto the fabric with thread and needle to know its exact placement. A crucial point in sewing yaraq is to ensure no part of the desired area is left uncovered by yaraq—this is called overlapping. Then, sew the yaraq securely onto the fabric from the back (backstitch) and remove any temporary stitches made to hold it in place.
In this second method, after lining the fabric, fix the yaraq on the outer side of the fabric using sewing pins to hold it in place. Again, ensure overlapping as in the first method. Next, stitch along the edge of the yaraq so that stitches are visible on the back side of the interfacing strip. Follow the previous steps afterward. For extra beauty, tassels can be added to the corners. Some yaraq ribbons are heat-activated and can be ironed onto the fabric.
Yaraq doozi is most suitable for heavy fabrics such as termeh (a Persian silk fabric), velvet, or mahout, which can bear the weight of thick yaraq ribbons without losing shape. Choosing either method depends on personal preference and which fits better with the design. Sometimes yaraq is sewn between the fabric and lining (called “yaraq layer in the seam”), and other times it is placed on top after lining (called “yaraq on top”). Common designs include boteh jegheh (paisley) or geometric patterns.
Materials
Fabric: Should be somewhat thick to bear the weight of the yaraq, such as mahout, velvet, or termeh.
Yaraq: Gold or silver ribbons in widths ranging from 1 to 4 cm with various patterns.
Thread: Usually golabatoon and naqdah threads are used for sewing yaraq onto fabric.
Needle
Final Note
This beautiful art is produced in the provinces of Khorasan, Isfahan, West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, and southern cities.
