The art of mat weaving has enriched the cultural identity of Gilan province. Handed down from generations to generations, it is on the decline largely because of huge handicraft imports in recent years.
Until a few decades, mats were used to cover floors, walls, windows and ceilings of houses in Gilan province. In addition to being beautiful decorations, mats helped absorb humidity as well, Mehr News Agency reported.
Thriving Past
’Abkenar’ mat, woven by women, was very popular in Gilan in the not too distant past. Mats were used in almost all houses in the northern province and housewives washed them twice a year: at the beginning of spring and fall.
In the past, many women of Gilan made mats in addition to their daily housework for earning extra money.
History books recall that the art of mat weaving flourished in Anzali to an extent that one of the famous mat merchants in Ghazian had men and women from 150 families weaving mats for him. However, following improvement in standards of living, mats were gradually replaced by machine-made carpets. Consequently, mat-weavers chose to weave hats and baskets instead of floor coverings and handicrafts.
Officials also did not do much to improve the situation and handmade mats are on the verge of becoming a thing of the past.
Harmful Imports
A handicraft merchant in Rasht, Mohammad Hosseini, lamented the fact that at present, rarely anybody wants to buy mats and those who are interested mats cannot find them.
Only a few mat-weavers are alive. Today, people prefer luxurious synthetic materials and as far as mat handicrafts are involved they prefer only hats and baskets.
He emphasized that since the youth do not slow any interest in learning the art of mat weaving, there are not many who know this art.
A mat-weaver, Morteza Tajaddod, said, “Everything is a function of the law of supply and demand. When there are no customers and nobody supports us, we cannot continue. Until a few years ago, a significant number of mat-weavers in Gilan produced baskets and hats. However, following the unfettered import of Chinese handicrafts and decline in demand, the number of mat-weavers also decreased.

Preservation
Tajaddod stressed that the art of mat weaving should be preserved by teaching it to the youth.
Another mat-weaver, Fatemeh Rajabi said, “I learned this art from my mother. Mats were mostly used as floor coverings and weaving mat baskets and hats was a secondary consideration. Since in recent years there was not much demand for mat floor coverings, I focused on weaving baskets, hats and silverware covers, and weave floor coverings when I receive an order.
She noted that mats are also used as a covering for the trunk of automobiles and tables.

Revival
A resident of one of the villages of Bijar, Safar Moradi, said, “Mat weaving is an art that could fill the leisure time of women, but at present it’s neglected.“
He cited the spread of automation and technological advances as the main reasons for the youth’s lack of interest in learning the art of mat weaving.
“In order to revive this handicraft, the production and sale of mats should be facilitated so that the youth see more incentives in learning mat weaving,“ he said.
Another handicraft expert maintained that even if mat weaving is on the decline, officials are obliged to adopt policies to preserve this art.
Maryam Tavallaei added that public awareness, supporting producers and holding exhibitions can help revive the art of mat weaving.

Archeologists excavating in the southern historical town of Moud in South Khorasan province have unearthed ancient earthenware dating back to the Parthian era (250 BC-226 AD).
Excavations were conducted on an ancient mound located near the city of Birjand. Numerous historical artifacts dating back from the pre-historic eras up to the Safavid era (1501-1722/1736 AD) were found at the site, reported Presstv.
South Khorasan province has numerous historical and archeological sites pertaining to the Neolithic and early Islamic eras.
Moud or ’Mood’ is a district of South Khorasan’s provincial capital Birjand. Ferezmorgh is a subdivision of the city.
The area is known for Moud blankets and carpets that normally have a curvilinear design with a sunflower shaped picture in the center. Such carpets are usually of high quality and made of wool or cotton.

Iran and Malaysia on Tuesday underlined the need to expand cooperation in the tourism and culture sectors.
In a meeting attended by Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei and Malaysian Minister of Tourism Azalina Othman, the two sides further underlined the need to broaden tourism cooperation, reported IRNA.
The meeting was held on the sideline of the sixth Summit of Developing Eight Islamic Countries known as D8.
At the meeting, Rahim-Mashaei called for implementation of the agreement signed by the two sides on tourism cooperation last year.
He invited Othman to visit Iran in the near future.
Welcoming the idea of expansion of bilateral relations, the Malaysian minister said that her country has made great efforts to introduce ancient Iranian relics and its rich cultural heritage.

Excavation and restoration operations will soon begin on the stone Zoroastrian fire temple of Takht-e-Rostam dating back to the Parthian era (250 BC Ð 226 AD) in Shahriar, Tehran province.
Announcing this, Reza Rahimi, who is in charge of Shahriar Cultural Heritage Office, said that the operations will begin in mid-July and the excavated areas will be restored following expert studies on the site.
The official added that 100 historical edifices have been identified in Shahriar, of which 50 were registered on the national heritage list.
Joughin Mound, Takht-e-Rostam, Takht-e-Keikavous, Balaban, Dokhtar historical bridge which dates back to Sassanid era (226-650 AD) , Dehshad Castle and Bibi Sakineh Mausoleum are among the cultural heritage sites in Shahriar.
A number of mounds, historical castles, ancient trees, old cemeteries and caravanserais are the other cultural heritage sites in the city.

Ecomuseums Office of Technical and Strategic Committee is conducting studies to set up 14 ecomuseums nationwide, disclosed the committee’s secretary.
Speaking on the sideline of an expert meeting on establishing an ecomuseum in Ardebil, Zahed Qaderi further said that currently a plan to establish two rural ecomuseums in Mazandaran province, a desert ecomuseum in Shahdad (Kerman province) and one in South Khorasan province is ready for implementation, reported IRNA.
He added that studies on ecomuseums in Manat in Meimand, Fars province, Ardebil’s tribal areas and the National Park of Khojir in Tehran have been completed and they are now in operation.
Setting up ecomuseums in Iran is conducted in three stages of identifying locations, analyzing cultural and environmental elements as well as evaluating the strong and weak points of the areas and conducting proposed programs.