Discover Iran: From Alamut Kilims to Pan-Bafi, Qazvin’s crafts carry centuries of living tradition

By Mina Mosallanejad

Qazvin is home not only to a rich legacy of historic sites and architecture, but also to a remarkable tradition of craftsmanship and artisanal skill.

Many of these practices have been passed down from generation to generation, with women playing a particularly important role in preserving, practicing, and transmitting this intangible heritage.

From the colorful kilims of Alamut and the delicate bands created through pan-bafi to mowj-bafi and deh-yek-doozi, each craft reflects a story of the province’s history, culture, and indigenous knowledge.

Yet these crafts are far more than relics of the past. Today, Qazvin’s artisans are working to preserve traditional techniques, patterns, and motifs while adapting them to contemporary tastes and markets.

In doing so, they are giving centuries-old skills a meaningful place in modern life, ensuring that this heritage continues to evolve rather than simply endure.

Here is a closer look at some of Qazvin’s most distinctive traditional crafts and the stories behind them.

Kilim: A colorful heritage of nomadic weaving

Kilim is a traditional flat-woven textile used as a floor covering, wall hanging, or blanket. Traditionally, kilims are made from natural fibers such as sheep’s wool, goat hair, and silk, as well as fibers derived from other domesticated animals.

Once valued primarily for their practical uses, kilims are now also appreciated as decorative works of art, finding a place in contemporary urban homes.

Traditional kilims are generally dyed using natural, plant-based colors. In some cases, artisans wash the finished pieces with tea or walnut husks to enhance their appearance, deepen the colors, and create a naturally aged effect.

Unlike carpets, kilims are often woven without a predetermined pattern. Instead, many designs emerge intuitively as the weaver works, with motifs taking shape through skill, experience, and creative expression. Kilims are also typically smaller than carpets, rarely exceeding three by four meters.

The weaving of kilims, jajims, carpets, and rugs has long been practiced in Qazvin, particularly among the tribes and nomadic communities of the region.

Among these traditions, the kilims of Alamut are especially renowned for their striking motifs, vivid color combinations, and distinctive visual character, qualities that reflect both the creativity of their makers and the cultural heritage of the region.

Pan-bafi: Delicate bands woven by hand

Pan-bafi, also known as card weaving or band weaving, is one of the distinctive traditional crafts of the Alamut region. Classified as a traditional textile art, it produces narrow woven bands, generally measuring just one to two centimeters in width.

Despite their delicate appearance, these bands are remarkably strong and durable. Traditionally made by women in the region, they have a wide range of applications, particularly in clothing and fashion. They may be used to decorate collars, skirt and sleeve edges, belts, shoelaces, phone straps, ties, and baby carriers.

When made with thicker yarn, the bands can also serve more practical purposes, including securing tents or making muzzles for horses and camels.

The origins of card weaving remain largely unknown. Neither the precise date of its emergence nor the circumstances through which the technique reached Iran are clearly documented. The oldest known examples of card weaving are associated with ancient Egypt.

The craft is made using both natural and, in some cases, synthetic fibers. Traditionally, however, silk thread, locally known as kaj thread, has been one of the principal materials used by weavers.

The Alamut region is known for a variety of traditional pan-bafi motifs, many of which are woven from memory rather than reproduced from a fixed pattern. This allows the weaver’s skill, experience, and creativity to play an important role in shaping each piece.

What distinguishes Alamut’s bands is their fine quality, delicate appearance, specialized weaving technique, tightly compact structure, and exceptional durability.

Traditional dyeing techniques further enhance their distinctive character. Local natural materials are used to produce a range of colors: mulberry leaves create golden tones, onion skins produce shades of orange, walnut husks yield brown, and neyresk, a type of wild barberry, provides additional natural hues.

Together, these techniques reflect a textile tradition in which craftsmanship, local knowledge, and creativity have been passed down through generations.

Mowj-bafi: A textile rooted in Qazvin’s history

Mowj-bafi, also known as sachimbafi, mashte-bafi, or jila-bafi, is a traditional textile technique whose appearance and motifs resemble those of chador-shab, but whose patterns and composition are more intricate.

The name is associated with the distinctive, interconnected zigzag patterns formed along the warp through a paired-hook weaving technique.

Traditionally, mowj was woven in small and large checkered patterns, with navy blue, orange, and dark red among the most characteristic colors used by Kurdish-speaking nomadic communities. Other colors, including green, cream, black, blue, and shades of both light and dark red, have also been widely used.

Mowj-bafi has a long history in Qazvin and is believed to have flourished in the region since the Safavid era. Its continued practice reflects the enduring textile traditions of the province and the communities that have preserved them over generations.

In 2011, mowj-bafi was officially inscribed on Iran’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List under the name of Qazvin province, recognizing its cultural significance and its place within the region’s traditional craftsmanship.

Dah-yek-dozi: An ancient embroidery technique

Among Qazvin’s traditional embroidery techniques is dah-yek-doozi, a distinctive form of decorative needlework whose origins are traced to the Sasanian period.

The term dah-yek literally means “one tenth,” referring to the technique itself: the needle and thread are passed repeatedly through a single point ten times before being secured to the fabric with a stitch. This process creates a distinctive, raised decorative effect that gives the embroidery its characteristic texture and appearance.

Traditionally, dah-yek-doozi has been used to embellish a wide range of objects, including clothing borders, mirror frames, fine curtains, bundles and pouches, needle cases, hats, decorative panels, Qur’an covers, money bags, and pen cases.

Fabrics such as satin, termeh, and velvet are generally preferred because their strength and structure allow them to withstand the repeated stitching required by the technique.

During the Islamic period, dah-yek-doozi also became part of religious art and decoration. Iranian artisans employed the technique in the ornamentation of curtains and coverings associated with the Kaaba, as well as in the decorative coverings of the shrines of the Imams and their descendants.

The continued presence of dah-yek-doozi in both everyday objects and sacred art reflects the enduring connection between Iranian textile traditions, craftsmanship, and cultural expression.

A wealth of intangible cultural heritage

These crafts represent only a fraction of Qazvin’s rich handicraft heritage. To date, 44 traditional arts and skills from Qazvin province have been officially registered as part of Iran’s national intangible cultural heritage.

These include mowj-bafi, zareh-bafi (chain-mail weaving), pan-bafi, patchwork, traditional bookbinding, tabaq-sazi, muqarnas work, copper craftsmanship, reverse-glass painting, carpet weaving, Ardagh kilim weaving, jajim-bafi, giveh-making, and giveh-stitching in Takestan.

Together, these traditions demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of skills preserved and practiced by generations of Qazvin artisans, with women playing a particularly significant role in traditional weaving and embroidery.

Today, the province is home to at least 7,500 artists and craftspeople working across traditional arts and handicrafts.

According to Maryam Mahdavi, acting head of the Qazvin Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the sector created employment for 1,665 people over the previous year and contributed to exports of artisanal products valued at $1.6 million.

These figures highlight that Qazvin’s traditional crafts are not only an important part of the province’s cultural heritage, but also a living economic sector that continues to create livelihoods and connect local craftsmanship with markets beyond the region.

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Women as keepers—and innovators—of tradition

Women play a particularly prominent role in Qazvin’s handicraft sector.

According to Maryam Bidkham, director general of Women and Family Affairs at the Qazvin provincial governorate, a large number of women across the province are active in handicrafts. She says that more than 12,000 women hold licenses to work in the handicrafts and cultural heritage sector alone, highlighting the productive capacity of women in the province.

Many female artisans inherit these skills within their families and local communities, learning them from mothers and grandmothers. In doing so, they preserve far more than techniques of weaving and embroidery. They also safeguard the motifs, color palettes, and indigenous knowledge embedded within these crafts.

The use of natural dyes, such as walnut husks, onion skins, mulberry leaves, and locally available plants in pan-bafi, and the transmission of geometric and intuitive motifs from one generation to the next are examples of knowledge that survives alongside the finished products.

But women are not merely the “keepers” of tradition. They are also helping transform these traditions into part of a contemporary economy.

Keeping traditional crafts alive does not mean freezing them in the past. By adapting how products are used, experimenting with new materials and combinations, and introducing traditional crafts to urban and contemporary markets, artisans are finding new ways to connect inherited skills with modern life.

Today, Qazvin’s handicraft community demonstrates that traditional heritage does not belong solely to the past. It is a living tradition that continues to evolve, adapt, and find new roles in contemporary life.

Weavers and embroiderers are preserving traditional methods of weaving, dyeing, and pattern-making while applying these same skills to products that respond to modern tastes and consumer needs. Kilims, for instance, are no longer used solely as floor coverings but have become elements of contemporary home décor. Likewise, the delicate bands produced through pan-bafi can be incorporated into modern clothing, accessories, and fashion design.

In this way, Qazvin’s handicrafts are more than reminders of a bygone era. They are a living heritage, sustained through continuity, creativity, and innovation, and carried forward by a new generation of artisans who are giving traditional knowledge a meaningful place in the world of today.

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