TEHRAN – On Monday, an exhibition of rings embossed with various traditional motifs opened to the public at the headquarters of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts in Tehran.

The three-day exhibition features 300 rings that bear intricate engravings, IRNA reported.

The personal ornamentations are handcrafted using an indigenous technique of Qalamzani, the report said.

Qalamzani is one of Iran’s traditional arts to make decorating and painting motifs on metal objects, especially copper, gold, silver, and brass. The art became popular in the Achaemenid era (c. 550 – 330 BC) and reached its peak in the Sassanid era (224-651 CE).

Nowadays, artists first fill the object with bitumen and gypsum to reduce the noise of the pen and then draw the desired pattern on it. When passing through the old bazaar of Isfahan, tourists can hear the sound of artists working to keep the art of Qalamzani alive.

With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next. For instance, Shiraz is named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts”, Malayer is a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture, while Zanjan has gained the title of a “world city of filigree”.

Available data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts suggests the value of Iran’s handicrafts exports stood at $120 million during the first eleven months of the Iranian calendar year 1399 (March 20, 2020 – February 18, 2021), Mehr reported. The country’s handicrafts exports slumped during the mentioned months in comparison to the same period last a year earlier due to the damage the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on global trade.

AFM