Handicrafts, Promising Field of Investment in Iran’s Qom
One of the attractions of the religious city of Qom in central Iran is the handicrafts. As the city is a pilgrimage destination, it can accommodate many Iranian and foreign travellers, and the handicrafts market in the heart of the city could be very thriving.
Painting on tiles is one of the most popular handiworks of Qom. Religious designs are drawn on white tiles and then are painted with special glazes. Afterwards, they are cooked for 9 hours at 1,000 degrees Celsius in a furnace.
Some of the handicraftsin Qomprovince include hand-woven carpets, inlay works, wood carving, pottery, stone carving, precious stones carving, and ring-making. Of these, 300 handicrafts have been officially registered in Iran and 4,200 licenced artists are active in 50 fields in Qom province.
What follows are ISNA’s photos of Qom’s handicrafts:
Qom’s handmade carpets are among the most famous handicrafts of this province. Qom carpets and rugs are among the symbols of Persian carpet in terms of colour, style of weaving, and material. They are also a combination of all styles of Iranian rug-weaving. These carpets are mostly made of silk, wool, and coat and are known as “silk design” and “silk chunks”.more
Making “Kharmohreh” is one of the most famous crafts in Qom which dates back to five thousand years ago. Kharmohreh is a blue stone or turquoise which is widely used by Qomi people for protection against the evil eye or the curses. Kharmohreh is cooled after being cooked for about 9 hours in furnaces at a temperature of about 1,000° C. Then it is ready to be sold in the market.more
In the first stage of production of Kharmohreh, various forms of mud are prepared for cooking.
Producing seven-coloured tiles is a practice considered to be one of Qom's dominant arts. It is very popular in the markets. The typical colours used are black, white, azure, turquoise, red, brown, green, yellow, blue and gold. The final products are cooked in a temperature of 1,000 to 1,150 degrees Celsius.more
Painting on tiles is one of the most popular handiworks of Qom. Religious designs are drawn on white tiles and then are painted with special glazes. Afterwards, they are cooked for 9 hours at 1,000 degrees Celsius in a furnace.more
“Tile mosaic” is another widespread art in Qom. Different designs are carved on pieces of tiles of different colours and then they are put together to form larger pieces.
“Wood Carving” is one of the crafts of Qom city which is currently popular in the old market of Qom with a history of about 600 years.
“Inlay art” is one of the most important skills in Qom. First, they draw a design on a piece of wood and then with special tools they carve something out of them.
Qom artists are more involved in the production, designing and engraving of decorative objects such as furniture. They mostly use noble designs including nature and Islamic patterns.
Cutting precious and semi-precious stones and making rings is one of the most popular arts of Qom province, whose popularity is mainly because of the city’s religious nature.
An example of a ring designed with precious stones taken from the holy shrine.
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