Jajim or Jajem means a ’Thick cloth’ like ’Palas’ and also a kind of two-sided carpet, which is thinner than Palas. Jajim is woven with colorful and fine threads of wool or mixture of silk and wool. It is hand woven with no fluff and its two surfaces could be used. It is a tribal weaving and used as a coverlet or protector from coldness.
According to Caroun website, before quilt and blanket, Jajim has been the only coverlet of tribesmen. Although it is rough and coarse, it will become fine and delicate by continuous use very soon.
Weaving of Jajim is simpler than Kilim and also more common. A common Jajim with 2.5 meter length and 2 meter width could be woven in less than a month by two weavers, otherwise rug that has millions of knots or Kilim that has tens of motifs in several colors.
There are fine Jajims woven in tribes, which have three to four millimeter thickness. These Jajims are used for decoration.
Jajim, like Kilim, is woven on horizontal loom. According to the pattern, which weaver has in mind, colorful warps with certain space have been prepared, on loom. Hand spun and fine wefts, prepared by tribe women, passed through warps and beaten by a comb, to be pressed. Warps make images of Jajim.
Common Jajims (Chahar-Koub) are like light and dark checkered in different colors. Motifs could be stripped, square, checkered, toothed, plain and parallel lines, and generally all motifs are along warps.
In ’Qashqai’ tribe, Jajim is also woven as needle lace (called “Rend“) and its motifs are the same as Kilim. These Jajims are mostly common in ’Kashkouli’ and ’Dareshouri’ tribes.
Common Jajims could also be woven in two pieces or more. It means that a narrow stripe with five meter length and 1.5 meter width, is woven; then divided into two pieces. These two pieces are sown together side by side. Salvage in between hides the sown points. These Jajim are called “Double Width“ and could be woven ever by a weaver. If weavers are more than one it is better to be woven in single width. Today it is woven with the width of 20 to 30 centimeters; mostly five parts sown together, made Jajim.

Types of Jajim
’Plain’ and ’Chahar-Koub’ Jajim
Its weave is simpler and more common than other Jajims. It has different kinds of designs and images:
A) Stripe: In different colors, sometimes has Gumpul margin. Parallel lines of these hand-woven have five to one centimeter width and sometimes decorate between rows by fine lines.
B) Checkered: This kind of Jajim is woven in small and large squares. Colorful warps replaced each other and shown applied colors in every square, therefore lighten and darken colors of the ground. Sometimes it is decorated with small woolen Gumpuls and gives it special brightness. This Gumpuls are applied in the center of squares or on the corner of them, in rows or zigzag pattern, as margin of Jajim.
C) Khotab: Khotab is woven in parallel rows or stripped in different colors. Corners of each row have ornaments alike to basic images of ’Kongere Madakhel’, which narrow parts of tooth are towards the inside and in front of each other and makes a fantastic design.
D) Flower: Like other Jajim images, is in parallel lines, but darker colors in each row, beside the next row, placed close to each other in such a way that are seen as a beautiful images. These images, according to weaver’s taste, which is specified by colors, create such beautiful flowers, which are compared to seven color napkin.
E) Toothed: Parallel lines of these Jajims have three to four centimeters width. Each row has specific color. In the middle of each row, “toothed“ basic image passes throughout Jajim length and makes itself apparent among colors.

’Shisheh-Dermah’ Jajim
These Jajims are mostly used for decoration and hardly woven by tribes. ’Shisheh-Dermah’ is usually woven in two dark and light colors and sometimes with a margin, which is in harmony with ground in color. This kind of Jajim is mostly seen in dark blue and white, margin in white and black or in white and red. It is one sided hand-woven, as the extra wefts of its other side are seen. Basic images of ’Shisheh-Dermah’ are lozenges, in which their sides are along each other. In the center of every lozenge, a special motif is woven. Margin is woven in parallel lines and stripped and in harmony with ground.

Needle (Rend)
Images of these Jajims are like those of Kilim (in both ground and margin). Peacock, Cashmere Flower, Khorasan, Lengej, Tehran, Aqajeri, Sormeh-dan, flower leaf, alma flower, images in various colors are mostly used; and wool or fuzz warps and wefts, make images magnificent. Sizes of these Jajims, depending to the usage, are different, but 2x2.5m is more common. Corners of Jajims, used as bedspread, are decorated by Gumpuls and colorful pendants.

A recreational and tourism Melal (Nations) Park has been planned in Hamedan, Managing Director of Hamedan’s Municipality Construction Company Abbas Sufi said.
According to the Persian daily ’Kayhan’, Sufi added that studies for setting up the park, which covers an area of 190 hectares and is estimated to cost 300 billion rials, have started.
He added that an artificial ski resort, water sports center, a zoo, indoor stadium, hotel and amusement park have also been considered for the project.
“Establishment of recreational centers is very important for attracting tourists,“ he said.
The official also announced plans for establishing a large trade center in Hamedan.
“This center will be built on an area of 25,000 square meters. A British firm has been contracted for this undertaking,“ he said.
Sufi said an Iranian tower, Sina Trade, Administrative and Parking Center as well as bazaars designated for furnitures and home appliances are among other provincial projects.

Markazi province in central Iran has various cultural attractions.
The collection of monuments of the historical area of Khorheh in the city of Mahallat raises many ambiguities about the age, architectural style and application of buildings among local and foreign historians, as well as archaeologists. Historians have cited the collection from which only two columns remain as a fire temple, palace, center for festivities and religious rituals, summer resort building and cemetery.
According to IRNA, in the wake of archaeological findings in the region various works belonging to the Seljuk, Arsacides, Sassanids and the Islamic era have been obtained.
The village of Khorheh is located northeast of Mahallat along the Khorheh River between the villages of Dodahak, Varin and Ab-e Garm. Khorheh means sunrise in Avesta (Zoroaster’s holy book) while the word Khor is also referred to as sun and summer resort building in ancient scripts.
Several spas, such as the warm spa located six kilometers south of Khorheh Plain, have existed in Khorheh since a long time ago. Moreover, 200 meters northeast of the Khorheh columns, a mausoleum is located which belonged to two brothers and a sister called Prince Abolqassem, Prince Eshaq and Hakimeh Khatoon, respectively.
Khorheh columns are made of limestone stones, which have been brought to the site from a 500-meter distance. The remnants of the columns reveal that they do not have patterns engraved on them similar to the columns of Persepolis.
The columns become narrower from their root upwards in the form of an incomplete cone. The lower diameter of the columns is 75 centimeters and the upper diameter is about 45 centimeters. Each column comprises of six pieces laid above one another. Some six cylindrical pieces form the leg of each column. The base of the columns is simply circular.
The column heads have been built in compliance with the Ionic style, which is one type of Greek architecture. Meanwhile, the length of the column heads is more than their diameter.
No historical document regarding the architectural plan of the collection is available, except an analysis made by a veteran architect, Ali Hakemi in 1976.
Based on the analysis, the collection covers an area of 3,550 square meters and comprises of a main veranda, northern collection and southern collection. The main veranda has 12 columns in two rows. The veranda has entrance and exit doors in the western and eastern sides, where there are also corridors with stairways for access to the second floor.
The northern section of the building comprises of corridors and chambers, which are located around the central courtyard.
The collection is tilted some 45 degrees toward northeast. This geographical position is also commonplace in Mishijan, Choghazanbil and some remnants of the Seljuk and Arsacides situated near Baghdad.
Several pieces of pottery dating back to the Arsacides and Samanid eras have been found in the region.
Most of these works were found in diggings of 1976. Furthermore, other artistic works such as spherical jars, decorative stones and metallic and glass works have been found in the region.
Khorheh collection is the first historic building of Markazi province registered as national heritage.

Vakil Mosque has been renovated by Fars Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department.
According to Persian daily ’Iran’, the stones of the floor and tile-works were renovated, lighting system of the interior was improved, exterior of the nocturnal prayer rooms were renovated and the plasterworks were upgraded.
Vakil Mosque is situated west of the famous Vakil Bazaar. It was built in 1187 (AH) during Zand Dynasty. It covers an area of 8,660 square meters. On the two sides of the entrance gate there are magnificent tile-works and arches.
The left and right corridors of the entrance gate are connected to the main room. Alongside the altar there is a 14-step tall platform made of green marbles where the speaker has to climb a number of stairs to reach the top to address the audience. On the inscription of the entrance gate there are Quranic verses engraved in Sols and Nosakh scripts. The historic building was registered as national heritage about 76 years ago.
Vakil means regent which was the title used by Karim Khan the Zand ruler of Persia. Shiraz was the seat of Karim Khan’s government and he endowed many buildings, including this Mosque.