solhkhabar | Peace International News Agency Peace International News Agency , Peace News , International Agency News of Peace
Handicrafts have provided predominant means of livelihood for the inhabitants of Ilam since ancient times,.
In the past, people used to cover the floors of their homes with kilims. Therefore, kilim weaving became a favorite pastime among residents of Ilam Province.
Today, over 4,000 weavers are involved in weaving embossed kilim.
Director General of Ilam Cultural Heritage Department Abdolmalek Shanbehzadeh said embossed kilim is the most important handicraft in the province.
Some 3,000 square meters of embossed kilim are produced by Ilami weavers annually, he added.
Currently, Ilam’s embossed kilim is sold in 20 countries, generating revenues to the tune of $ 10 million in the year to March 2018, he added.
Shanbehzadeh continued that the embossed kilim has obtained national hologram and has thus become a special brand of Ilam, he added.
Also, Deputy Head of Ilam Cultural Heritage Department for Handicrafts Affairs Noureddin Mohseni said villages of Posht Qaleh (in Abdanan) and Zanjireh (in Chardaval) have been designated as model villages for weaving straw and embossed kilim.
“We should use the potentials of Mehran border checkpoint for selling embossed kilim.”
Ilam’s embossed kilims are sold in neighboring provinces and exported to Germany, the US, Japan and Persian Gulf littoral states among other countries, Mohseni said.
He further said 33 fields of handicrafts are pursued across the province — involving 8,000 artisans.
Zeynab Abbasi, one of the weavers of embossed kilim described the shortage of raw materials and lack of sale market as major problems facing Ilami weavers.
She said many Ilami women make ends meet by weaving kilim, but they face difficulties procuring raw materials since there are no spinning or dyeing factories in the province.
In addition, many weavers don’t have insurance coverage, she said.
Director General of Ilam Social Security Department Soheila Malekshahi said 4,500 weavers are covered by insurance.
Embossed kilim is one of the indigenous products of Ilam weavers. With 10,000 skilled weavers, Ilam is well known for its carpets, rugs and kilims.
The world of Ilam weavers is very mysterious, full of cultural attractions and strange fables.
You can find traces of this culture when you enter their workshop, hear their chants and see the woven designs on their frame looms and the quick movements of their hands.
One of the poems sung by Ilami weavers says: “O weaver girls, knot your secret wish on the woven hairs of Chehelgis Pari and wait for your lover near the spring.”
Source: Iran Daily
9417**1397
Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish