Global silk; A color in the fabric of Gilan tourism

Gilan’s handicrafts today, due to their taste, beauty and originality, are crossing the borders of the land and the globalization of silk to be a new strength for the tourism fabric of this land. Silkworm breeding and traditional production of silk for weaving, last year in the city of Rabat, Morocco, as the 21st element of the intangible cultural heritage of our country together with the countries of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the 17th meeting of the International Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage It was registered by UNESCO.

Gilan silk dates back to the Parthian and Sasanian eras and is considered one of the finest products in Iran and the world. A large number of buildings of Gilan silk collection have historical value and have been registered in the list of national monuments of the country.

31 provinces of the country are active in the field of Noghandari industry, and Gilan is the hub of silk cocoon production next to Razavi Khorasan, in addition to having the second rank in cocoon production with the production of 85% of the country’s silk thread, it is considered the capital of Iran’s sericulture.

A credit to support the restoration of Gilan

The Governor of Gilan, while visiting the country’s Noghandari Development Center and Foman Agricultural Capacities, said: During the President’s visit to Gilan, 10 billion Tomans were allocated to support Noghandari in order to rely more on domestic production.
Asadollah Abbasi, pointing to the numerous capacities of Gilan province in the agricultural sector, emphasized the need to make the farmers more productive and make jihadi efforts to increase the production of high-quality products.
He considered the current production of Gilan silk to be of a high and competitive position in terms of quality and added: an opportunity was given to make the tutestans that belong to the agricultural jihad and related to the production of Noghan eggs, with accurate timing, and in this regard, the report Work should be provided.

A big action in the field of Noghandari

The deputy of the Noghandari Development Center of the country also says: Currently, mulberry seedlings are produced in 11 provinces of the country, and this year a contract has been signed with natural resources to grow 1 million and 100 of them.
Majid Farzaneh said at the meeting for the revival of Noghan industry and silkworm breeding, which was held at the former place of Noghan office in Bandar Anzali, in order to support home businesses, the country’s Noghandari development center has taken a great step in the Noghandari field of the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, and that is the production of seedlings. Mulberry was under the title of Noghandari infrastructure development during several years, which increased the distribution of mulberry seedlings on average from about 200,000 plants in 2019 to about 600,000 plants last year.
He said: Bandar Anzali is one of the cities that has a long history in the Noghandari industry, but this industry is facing oblivion. Gilan has had many ups and downs in Noghandari field, the main of which was the reduction of silk tariffs from 200% to 5%.
Farzaneh continued: In 1379, the Noghandari Development Center of the country distributed about 230,000 boxes of Noghan eggs and produced more than 505,200 tons of cocoons, some of which were exported.
He added: low-quality cocoons and lack of need assessment in this area caused us to import yarn and cocoons and caused the price of Iranian cocoons and yarn to decrease, while the imported yarns were not comparable to the samples produced in Gilan Silk Industries Company.
This official reminded: since 2017, the government has been producing about 970 tons of cocoons and distributing 25 thousand 700 boxes of Noghan eggs since 2017, with the increase of this amount last year, it was able to distribute 46 thousand 500 boxes of Noghan eggs and and produce 721 tons of cocoons.

Farzaneh stated: In the past, silkworms were cultivated in 22 provinces of the country, but now silk cocoons are cultivated in all 31 provinces of the country.
He also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Barkat Foundation and said: In the Noghandari area, facilities will be paid for Noghandari infrastructure, silkworm rearing halls, home silking workshops and the construction of tutestans with the coordination made by the Barkat Foundation.
Farzaneh stated: Last year, about 9,800 boxes of Noghan eggs were produced, and this year we plan to produce 30,000 Noghan eggs and set up a Noghan egg workshop in Bandar Anzali.

The historical monuments of Noghan Gilan will be changed with the focus on silk

The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Gilan, emphasizing that silk weaving is one of the active fields of handicrafts in Gilan, said: There are 11 historical monuments of Noghan in the province, which were not in good condition, and now they are going to be restored with the cooperation of Noghandari Development Center. Change of use.
On the occasion of World Handicrafts Day, in an interview with IRNA reporter, Jahani continued by saying that the global registration of traditional silk production for weaving helps in the development of tourism and job creation: In this regard, the Falaturi building in Lahijan as a silk museum of the province with 20 billion Rials The reputation was restored and 10 other historical monuments of Noghan province are being changed with the focus on silk, of which the textile museum in Qasim Abad Rudsar is one of them.
He stated that the National Kejchina festival (harvesting of silkworm cocoons) and the celebration of the world registration of Noghandari on June 25 will be held in Langrod with the aim of creating opportunities for the development and promotion of Noghandari, adding: promoting agricultural tourism and introducing Noghandari products with an emphasis on preserving rituals. And native culture is another goal of this festival.
Emphasizing that the approach of the General Administration is primarily to register and protect this prestigious branch of handicrafts and its indigenous rituals, Jahani added: There are valuable objects in the Noghandari sector with a history of 150 years in the province, which are in the possession of Sepidroud Company, and the property It is considered cultural and historical, and the best collection that has been registered in this regard is the Noghan Department of Bandar Anzali, which needs less restoration.
The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Gilan considered Gilan to be one of the leading provinces of the country in Noghan industry and silkworm production and continued: Gilan’s traditional handwoven motifs such as woven night tent and embroidered rashti are derived from thousands of year old pottery motifs in the hills. Marlik is a river that shows the attention of the people of this province to art.

Intangible cultural heritage refers to cultural products and processes such as rituals, arts, songs, sounds, music, events, skills and capabilities that are customary among people or a tribe in a specific geographical area and are passed down over time, from generation to generation. Chest to chest is inherited as a valuable treasure to the contemporary era of a nation and continues to be promoted, protected and guarded by people as a cultural element and value.
Historical and ancient works and monuments, traditional art products, natural landscapes, part of cultural assets, are in the group of tangible cultural works and products that are either registered and protected in the form of an ancient site or to be kept as cultural property in museums. are located But intangible cultural works are forms of culture that, although they can be recorded, but cannot be stored in a physical place like a museum, and due to their inherent and special characteristics, they can be transmitted, repeated and experienced.
Silkworm breeding and traditional silk production for weaving includes a set of traditional knowledge methods, skills and crafts related to planting and growing mulberry trees, silkworm breeding, silk thread production for weaving and other purposes.
Having or maintaining mulberry trees in an optimal condition (supplying enough light, soil nutrients, ventilation, humidity) according to climatic conditions is the basis of quantitative and qualitative leaf production and consequently high-quality cocoon production. Worms feed on the leaves of mulberry trees, then silkworm eggs are produced, and in the next stage, silkworms need to be cared for until the completion of cocoons (transformation of adult silkworms into cocoons). In the next stage, the performers produce silk by spinning silk cocoon threads, weave silk fabrics and use the fabrics in handicrafts.

The artisans are mostly rural and use silk threads to produce various handicraft products such as cloth and carpets.
What doubles the importance of this element is that most Noghandarans and silk thread producers do this profession as a family and in a group with special ceremonies, and in addition, the cooperation between families, neighbors and colleagues makes their social role especially in It strengthens the continuity of local cooperation.

Silkworm breeding, silk production and silk products are among the important and deep-rooted activities of some rural and urban families of Gilan, which provide a part of the families’ expenses before accessing the income of other agricultural activities.
Noghandari industry and silkworm breeding, in addition to an agricultural economic activity, is considered as an ancient cultural heritage of Gilan region, and the geographical and climatic conditions of this province have provided a favorable ground for the establishment of this industry in this region.
Noghandari industry or silkworm breeding is one of the old small businesses in the agricultural sector of Gilan province, and statistical reports and surveys indicate the revival of this industry under the shadow of support packages.