TEHRAN – Hasirbafi or mat weaving is a kind of ancient handicraft that is widely practiced in Iran’s Bushehr province using certain dried-out leaves and stems.  

This craft is more common in coastal villages and riversides because the principal material for it is wildling plants that grow near the marshes and rivers.

In many regions, stems of wheat, rye, rice, and leaflets of palm trees are used to weave the products, too. There are plenty of material resources in Bushehr which is bounded by the Persian Gulf. That is why mat weaving has long been one of the most popular handicrafts of the southern province.

To weave a mat, first stems that match each other in size and diameter are picked and soaked in water. Then three to five of them are packed together by another stem. These bundles are weaved together to make objects such as baskets, bags, floor covers, wall hang, etc.

The leaflets can be colored using a special kind of ink called “Bagham” or logwood. Bagham is available in colors such as green, blue, violet, and orange, and sometimes the weavers mix them with turmeric to add to the brightness. The motifs of mat weaving are most commonly made from memory and are geometric and diamonds.

AFM