On the seventh day of the Sarv-e Simin Festival, three educational workshops at the national level were held on the topics of “Handicrafts and Environment”, “Medicine and Handicrafts” and “Historical Analysis of Khatam Kari Doors Preserved in the National Museum of Iran”.
According to the news staff of the 7th Fajr International Handicrafts and Traditional Arts Festival (Sarv-e Simin-e 7), a national educational workshop titled “Handicrafts and Environment” was held with presentation of Dr. Manijeh Khalili in cooperation with the Traditional Arts Research Institute on Tuesday morning February 21.
Manijeh Khalili said in this workshop: Handicrafts play an important role in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of polluting gases by encouraging sustainable and local trade. The raw materials of handicrafts are simple and cheap natural materials that humans have always had around them, and the value of handicrafts is more than anything else in the creativity and mental processing of humans. As a result, they support and protect nature and environment more than harming it.
She continued: Indigenous knowledge is a valuable reservoir of past ideas, thoughts and knowledge that should be used to preserve culture and environment.
Jamshid was the First Person to Teach People How to use Medicine
“Medicine and Handicrafts” was the topic of the second educational workshop on the seventh day of the Sarv-e Simin Festival, which was held with presentation of Tayyaba Ezzatollahinejad.
She stated in this workshop: Written documents in ancient stories of Iran have attributed the beginning and introduction of medicine to Jamshid (mythical king of Iran). He was the first person to teach people how to use medicine.
Ezzatollahinejad in another part of her speech, referring to the properties and nature of different colors used in clothes, said: the color of clothing is the most important issue in color combinations: “blue: moderate”, “green: moderate”, “white and black: cold” “, “red: hot”, “yellow: hot and humid” and “purple: cold and dry”.
This researcher added: garments are the closest and most important portable food for every human being, and musical instruments are also considered as listening foods. The spirit of Iranian art is medicine and wisdom, and we cannot take away spirit from the body. We must seriously consider medicine in Iranian lifestyle. Medicine is a field that should be taken seriously in the field of industries.
Khatam Kari begins in Al-Muzaffar Period
Samira Arab also gave presentation on “Historical Analysis of Khatam Kari Doors preserved in National Museum of Iran” in the third educational workshop of the seventh day of the festival.
She stated: The beginning of Khatam Kari art should be related to the Al-Muzaffar period based on the oldest artwork in the Metropolitan Museum. This artwork is a wooden book keeping base decorated with wood carving, wood fretwork and wood inlaying. Also, the name of the manufacturing center is incised on the artwork.
This researcher said: There are countless artworks from the Zand period inside and outside of Iran, the best examples of which are the inlaid doors of the Marble Throne related to the cultural and historical complex of Golestan Palace, as well as the inlaid box in the tomb of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (PBUH) in Najaf and inlaid box in the tomb of Imam Hossein Seyyed al-Shohda (PBUH) in Karbala.
The 7th edition of Fajr International Handicrafts and Traditional Arts Festival (Sarv-e Simin-e 7), is being held from 15-23 February at National Museum of Iran.