Chootashi, an old handicraft of Mazandaran Province
Chootashi is among the oldest handicrafts of people residing in the northern provinces of the country, especially Mazandaran.
The word “chootashi” consists of two parts, choo is the short form of “choob,” which means wood, and tashi is the short form of tarashi, which means carving, visitiran.ir wrote.
This art, which is wood carving, is often practiced to make tools and utensils that are used by local people in their daily lives. A sustainable and diverse supply of wood from the green forests of Tabarestan, the old name of Mazandaran, has helped prepare the ground for making various wood objects in the region throughout history.
In Mazandaran Province, the art of chootashi is used to make various tools such as kacheh (wooden spoon), ketra (wooden ladle), joleh (a kind of jug with a wide opening and a thin neck, which is used to keep milk and dairy products).
The craftspeople also make kelez, which is a wooden utensil that is used as a measuring cup.
This craft is popularly practiced in various cities of Mazandaran Province such as Noor, Chamestan, Amol, Babol, Savadkuh, Sari, Behshahr, Neka.
In the past, those who practiced the craft, chootash, were highly regarded in the history of Tabarestan. They donated their best or first products to the holy shrines of their villages, believing that this would bring blessings to their lives.
Wood from various types of trees including maple, box, beech, oak, walnut, European ash and elm are used by the artists involved in this craft.