TEHRAN – Monjugh-Duzi is a special kind of Iranian embroidery which its know-how has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

Mojughs are small beads that look like glass and are sewed to clothing and other textiles.

There are some historical documents and evidence that prove this art was quite popular during the Achaemenid and Sassanid eras. Back then tents, carpets, and garments were ornated by Monjughs, however, it was a custom specific to aristocrats.

Narratives say that Monjugh flourished once again in the late 20th century, during the Qajar era. Some of the valuable and elaborate Monjugh-Duzi pieces of this era are kept in the Decorative Arts Museum of Iran and can be visited.

Progressively the material for making Monjugh changed from gemstones to glass and they turned into a craft practiced and used by ordinary people.

According to Visit Iran, Monjugh-Duzi is the art of sewing Mojugh beads to fabrics. The first step is to pass the beads through yarn by using a needle and then, sew them to the fabric based on the pattern.

This delicate handicraft can be applied to ornate clothing, headwears, money bags, decorative tableaus, pencil holders, cases of stamps or brushes, bags, covers of boxes or utensils, belts, necklaces, anklets, coasters, and many more objects.

AFM