Malayer embroidery; Industrial art is becoming obsolete

In the western and southwestern regions of the country, due to cultural and geographical conditions, wearing “giwa” has been a tradition for a long time. Giove is basically a lightweight, durable footwear suitable for long walks on rough terrain, and due to these characteristics, most people have attributed its origins to much older times than other types of footwear.

According to ISNA; Although we do not know what sex the original quilts were made of and what their shape was, we have documents that show that the eighth century AH was the peak period for the use of quilts. Giweh weaving is a symbol of the confrontation and resistance of the beauty of fine hand art against the rough and rocky roads, in other words, the battle and confrontation between art and nature.

Giove Malayer is 150 years old

The head of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism of Malayer said: “Weaving in Malayer dates back to more than 150 years ago and among the old weaving artists in Malayer, we can mention Mr. Karimi, Ranjbar and Ali Akbar Ghaleh.”

In an interview with ISNA, Ebrahim Jalili added: “Currently, Ghorban Ranjbar is active in the four traditional bazaars and the castle. Also, five types of giweh, namely ajideh, zir aj, saneh joni, giwe makini and zir buffalo, are woven in Malayer.”

He stated that Malayer embroidery is an art that has been abandoned and is becoming obsolete. , Khorramabad, Arak, Ahvaz and. Were sent.

Emphasizing that this office is ready to support these artists for teaching and developing the above art, Jalili continued: There are various types of traditional quilts and the types of quilts are divided according to the type of surface texture, materials used in the outsole and connecting two pieces of shoes to It also happens.

The head of Malayer Cultural Heritage explained in this regard: “The traditional property of Maliki” has an exquisite and expensive procedure and is a long paw; The top is taller than other traditional quilts and a piece of leather is sewn to the back.

He stated that the bed of this type of giwa was made of cotton fabrics and canvas clothes and today, more than old leggings are used in its production, he pointed out: the fabric is made of these fabrics in the form of thin strips. It is made of cow skin.

Jalili, referring to the fact that he made the toe and heel of the bed from cow skin and after connecting the warp and weft together, fringed around it and cut the extra parts, said: “They make a bed which is called an” old bed “. Or called “real estate bed”.

The official in charge of Ajideh or Ajdeh Giweh explained: The difference between this traditional Giweh and Maliki is that its surface is coarsely woven and its sole is a leather-stitched bed. It is made of leather, this type of quilt is mostly used in cities and therefore it is also called urban quilt.

The head of Malayer Cultural Heritage stated: “Gaveh lathei” The main difference with other types of giweh is that in its bed only old pieces of fabric are used, which are called lathei, “rubber flat giweh”, also a type It is a coarse and cheap weave that has a plastic outsole.

Jalili pointed out: “Silk quilt” is a kind of decorative and ceremonial quilt whose bed is leather or rubber, but the texture of this bed is very delicate, also the surface of this type of quilt is woven from colored silk thread and sometimes it is accompanied by beads.

He added about “Kurdish Giweh or Kalash”: This type of Giweh, which is the main subject of this research, is specific to the Kurdish regions of the country and the main place of production is the Oramanat area, and the most important feature that distinguishes Kalash from other types of Giweh It is.

The official said: the upper of this type of quilt is woven from cotton thread and the sole is made of compressed fabric, and accordingly, the shoe rack is light, soft, flexible and suitable for mountainous environments.

Master of Malayer embroidery

In the traditional Malayer market, I look for an embroidered shop or booth and find only one item; This art-industry in Malayer has been forgotten for many years and unfortunately it is becoming obsolete.

In the four main streets of Malayer Bazaar, when you move towards Taleghani area, in the direction of Attaran, you will reach a small three-meter room, where an old man is engaged in weaving and sewing giwa; His name is “Haj Ghorban Ranjbari”; Born in 1316 in Malayer, he has been working in this city for many years.

He is alone and busy removing the excesses of a small woven gown for a two- or three-year-old boy. He is wet, he points and wants me to sit down so that we can talk and he can continue his work.

His room is so small that even he can hardly fit in it, all the guitars are hanging from the ceiling to the floor, the card reader and the phone inside his room subconsciously put a smile on the corner of my mouth; In a way, it evokes “asymmetric interplay of technology and tradition”…

As I ask the question, “Haj Ghorban Ranjbari” continues his work in earnest and raises his head less, he says: He has made a living from this profession.

“When I was a child, my mother put me to work,” said Malayer, an embroiderer.

I ask him if his job market has customers and buyers, and he replies: it is much less than before, now people buy factory and machine shoes, not hand-made shoes, for example, a pair on some days and some on other days. I also sell two pairs of shoes; Of course, there are days when I do not sell any shoes, but again, I am not disappointed, because one day God will provide.

I ask him about the femininity and masculinity of the quilts and the sizes he sews, and he picks up his cane and points to the well-woven colored quilts next to his shop and says: These colored quilts are for women, every I also sew the size that the customer wants; From a two-year-old child to a 100-year-old man.

I want to explain the price of quilts to me, and as he is still working, he says: Each quilt has a different price depending on its sewing, model and raw materials; A child’s shoe starts from 100,000 Tomans to a fit man’s size 550,000 Tomans, the price difference of these shoes is due to their soles, leather soles are more expensive than plastic soles.

I say: “Haj Agha Ranjbari” Another embroidery is becoming obsolete, it is a pity that you do not teach all these experiences to others “and he confirms and follows my words and says: I had a student many years ago but now Now no one is looking for these jobs, once he left the cultural heritage of the workshop and I taught in it, but I can no longer afford it. I was able to spend all these years with this job with satisfaction, but now the young people are not satisfied and this job does not have enough income, so it is not expensive for the young people to enter this job.

I ask him to talk about the benefits and advantages of this type of footwear, and he explains, referring to the type of sewing of shoes: These shoes are suitable for traveling, walking, back pain and leg pain, and people can easily Use it, the foot does not sweat in these shoes, due to the cotton texture and the seams between the fabric of the upper part of the shoe, it prevents bad foot odor and lasts for about two or three years.

Haj Ghorban Ranjbari, regarding the raw materials of weaving, adds: The materials that are prepared on the spot include cow skin, cow dung and spun yarn, and the materials that are prepared from outside the place are divided into two parts; For flat studs, which includes dye, thin cotton fabric, tragacanth and spun yarn, and for newer studs, such as leather and plastic, including tanned leather nails, rubber heels, rubber sole, glue, cowhide, fabric. It becomes cotton and goat hair.

The time for the call to prayer has arrived and the old man seems tired. After thanking and saying goodbye on the way, I think to myself that if these quilts were produced in a fashionable way, they could be attractive to the younger ones. Despite the fact that the work of gif-selling has flourished, but it is still one of the best footwear in terms of efficiency and quality, and it is possible to encourage young people to wear these footwear by creating creativity and innovation in the model and design of the surface of these giwahs.

Anyway, if you want to wear a light, cool and beautiful shoe in summer, I suggest you buy a few pairs of well-woven quilts from Malayer.