WORLD CRAFTS COUNCIL
(WCC AISBL) INTERNATIONAL
Malayer (Iran)
Malayer is a historic city in western Iran. southeast of Hamadan province. After the Elamites, the Medes settled in Malayer. Also with archaeological excavations at Noshijan hill (Ancient castle and fire temple km west of Malayer) Three floors were identified. The first class is attributed to the Medes, the second class to the Achaemenids, and the third to the Sasanians. Malayer people speak Farsi and Malayeri dialects. One of the annual ceremonies in Malaire is the Grape syrup baking ceremony It is done every year after picking grapes in rural and sometimes urban homes. The woodcarving national celebration is an inaugural yearly event in Malayer.
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The documentary history of the inlaid in Malayer goes back to the Safavid period. Evidence, such as the Imamzadeh Sam and Ham (AS) (located in the city of Saman), shows that wood artifacts were produced in the Safavid period in the Malayer region.
The carvings on the aforementioned door, now preserved in the Malayer Lotfalyan Museum, are Geometric nodes carved with wood. WE also see other examples of wood carving such as Hard-carved and zinc spoons in the museum.
According to the latest figure from the Crafts Department, 8834 men and women artists, and in 4944 Malayer handicrafts workshopping are active Of these, 7972 are producing incarved furniture in 4260 wood carving workshops. This figure accounts for more than 90 percent of the city's handicrafts. Woodcarving related jobs include wood cutting, transportation, carpentry, weaving, tooling, tooling, molding and painting. The population is about 25,000.
The variety of well-known and sometimes inventive designs in Malayer woodcarving is clearly seen. . .for product of Some of the products have been used from the motifs of frescoes and Persepolis, and sometimes of simplified regular plant motifs.
In Malayer, most of the plant designs such as flowers, shrubs and flowers and poultry are used for embossing. The excellent and modern designs in its luminous sculptures and epic and religious stories play a big part in the woodcarving of Malayer's sofa.
As mentioned above, plant designs are commonly used for design.
Known as the five-leaf or multi-leaf flower names, simple leaves, celery leaves and Ivy leaves
Multileave flowers are one of the most original designs used in traditional Iranian design. This flower, created in woodcarving with various shapes, has been seen on the carpet drawings for many years in beauty and abundance.
The history of woodcarving in malayer comes back to Safavid period. Woodworks like Imamzadeh Sam and Ham door in town of Samen are the proofs for this claim. The door is now kept in the museum of Lotfian in Malayer. The carved patterns and some poems are done by chisel in that era.
Beside woodworks like woodburning, wood mosaic, and traditional music instruments which have received two national badges and two international badges from UNESCO there are other active artworks like wicker weaving, stonecutting, engraving, precious and semi-precious stone cutting, knife making are active in Malayer.
Current situation of woodwork as candidate for receiving world crafts badge. Different commonly used patterns as well as innovative ones on woods are found in every factory in Malayer. Some of these patterns are seen on printed walls and pillars of Jamshid throne and some others contain simple symmetrical patterns of plants coming in mixture of woodworks and grid on woods. Patterns used in furniture in this region are heliotrope, floral and bird patterns, and spiral frames are used to decorate the wooden bodies of furniture. Plants play significant role in creating wooden artworks. Leaves from simple to pentagonal, vegetables leaves like celery and wild plants like bindweeds also found in many Persian carpets and on most of wood works like furniture, and tables in Malayer.
Malayer was recognized as the national city of woodcarving in spring of 2018 because of having following potentials:
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Two woodcarving unions are actively working in Malayer
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Woodcarving town at the entrance of Malayer includes 80 factories that has created 450 occupations