The Art of Woodworking in Iran
Undoubtedly, shaping wood, stone, and bone with the purpose of creating tools for living, objects for entertainment, or totems for worship was the very first spark of artistic activity.
Woodworking in the Iranian plateau has traveled a five-thousand-year journey—from the small floral design carved on a comb (discovered in the ancient city known as the Burnt City near Zabol, Sistan) to the masterpieces of Iranian woodcarving, such as the door of the Jameh Atigh Mosque in Shiraz.
In ancient Iran, woodworking expanded into three main techniques—i.e. monabbat-kari (wood carving), moarreq-kari (marquetry), and khatam-kari (inlay work)—alongside numerous subsidiary methods, reaching its peak during the Seljuk period. Yet the first monumental and magnificent wooden work dates back to the earliest great empire in history: the column capitals of Persepolis, of which no trace remains today except within the lines of history, were likely the very first grand masterpieces of woodturning in the Iranian plateau.
For centuries, Shiraz, Abadeh and Golpayegan were gathering places for great masters and markets for woodwork. With the beginning of the Qajar era and the establishment of exquisite industries in the Dar al-Fonon, the decorative arts of Iran found a new path with a new perspective and inspiration from the West.
Today, techniques such as patina, vintage, and image transfer with decoupage paper, interwoven with ancient traditions, unveil a new world before us—a world that weaves an eternal bridge between nature, tradition, and the beauty of daily life.
These techniques—old, new, or hybrid—seek to create novel bridges within the neurons of the modern industrial mind: bridges that connect nature, tradition, and the aesthetics of everyday life.
