Origin
It is one of the original Iranian arts that exist also in several other countries, but the cradle of this civilization is Iranian art. Khatam inlaid pulpit of the Atiq mosque in Shiraz is one of the most important prototypes of Khatam inlaid art history after Islam, so the origin is Shiraz.
The antiquity of this art can be considered as examples found in the past, such as pieces found in Egypt decorated with wood and bones belonging to the rise of Islam.
Among the other old examples that have been created with the art of Khatam inlaid work, we can mention the roof of the main porch of the Atiq mosque in Shiraz, the Khatam inlaid work of the Delshad Palace in Samarkand, the wooden pulpit of the Lonbani mosque in Isfahan and the doors of the mirror hall of the Golestan palace in Tehran.
Khatam is made of ivory and camel bones, it has beautiful flower designs and some images are engraved on it.
History of the inlaid art
The beginning of this art dates back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim as an occupation at that time. In the Safavid period when the capital moved to Isfahan, woodcarving art flourished.
Khatam inlaid work during Zandieh dynasty
Since Shiraz was the capital of the Zandieh dynasty, this art flourished in this region and even many artists from Isfahan moved to Shiraz. During the Zandieh period, most courts and tombs including the shrines of Imam Ali and Imam Hossein were subjected to this art.
Khatam inlaid work during the Qajar period
With the coming of the Qajar government, this art of handicrafts stagnated. Even many of the inlays of Zandieh’s time were destroyed due to the Qajar hatred of Zandieh. It period was not a good period for Iranian art. With Kamal al-Molk opening of the art school, this art flourished again; the prosperity of this beautiful art was such that most of the tools of Reza Shah were decorated with this art. The doors of the shrine of King Abdul Azim in the city of Rey were made during the Qajar period by artists from Shiraz.
Khatam inlaid manufacturing centers
Iran is one of the most important centers for making Khatam inlaid handicrafts, but as we mentioned, other countries like India, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq also practice this art.
The art of inlaying is present in museums, among which many Iranian artistic handicrafts can also be seen. We can mention a museum called Benaki in Athens and the Brussels Museum. In Athens museum there is a Khatam inlaid chessboard and in Brussels Museum a beautiful Khatam inlaid table.
It should be noted that currently, the most important centers of this art, are in the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran.
Requirements in making Khatam inlaid work
All kinds of wood, bone and ivory, metal wires, lacquer, silk, razor, oyster, polyester and hammers, saws, drills, gas cutters, scissors, dignity, presses and glue are used in this beautiful art to show the art of handicrafts with complete elegance.
Tips
In the first stage, designing and preparing materials are necessary and then cutting materials is very important. The mold must be made delicately and in the next step, substructure, gluing and polishing are very important. In the past, only the natural green color was used for this art.
In each construction, there are three triangles in the smallest unit and 400 triangles in the largest unit. If design of the Khatam inlaid is precise and has a small role, it adds to the beauty of the design.
In preparing suitable wood for inlaying, different types of wood such as orange, walnut, boxwood and ebony wood are used. The types of bones used in this art are artificial and natural from the camel bones, horse bones, cow bones and ivory. They are widely used, because of their whiteness and strength. The metals used in the Khatam inlaid industry are silver, aluminum and brass. For white color aluminum and silver are used, and for yellow, brass is used.
What is lubrication for?
Basically, handicrafts are lubricated to make the work shiny and also to protect it from cold, heat and moisture so as it won`t be damaged. The oils used in the past were from pine sap and over time Havilux oil was used, but today polyester is used for polishing and protection of inlays.
Khatam inlaid designs are divided into two types of border patterns and text patterns
Rhombus pattern
Josimi pattern
Shamseh pattern
Sunny pattern
Arch pattern
Toglo pattern
The most important examples are Khatam Ne Goli, Khatam Abri, Khatam Hexagonal with the word Qomi on it, and Khatam Gareh.
Abri Khatam inlaid design is hexagonal and 20 hexagons and 50 blades are used to prepare its frame.
Qomi Khatam inlaid designs is made of 22 wires and a blade of 9 triangles: hexagonal Khatam inlaid with the word Qomi on it.
Maintenance method
Do not use wet clothes or chemicals to clean Khatam inlaid work, and don’t put it in direct sunlight and heat.
What are the characteristics of a good inlay?
For this art we need smooth surface and no gaps between the joints and on the work surface. Also, in these handicrafts, only one kind of paint and materials should be used to maintain the uniformity of the work. It should be noted that the lubrication that is done on the work surface, should not have protrusions.
Another point about the quality of an Khatam inlaid work is that its design must be precise and also the work must be symmetrical to maintain the beauty of the work.
ramin –
Good Grade and quality