Shahiyun of Dezful center of kapu-weaving in Khuzestan Province
In the local dialect, kapu refers to any spherical object, but as a craft, it describes hand-woven, basket-like spherical objects that may have lids, too. Kapu are crafted by the masterful hands of women, and all of its materials are naturally found in Khuzestan Province.
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism, Ezzatollah Zarghami, announced recently that the city of Dezful has been registered by the World Crafts Council (WCC) for its exceptional contributions to the world of traditional craftsmanship. Dezful earned distinction for its mastery of kapu-bafi.
The city of Shahiyun, located 37 kilometers from Dezful, in the southern province of Khuzestan, is the center of kapu-bafi (kapu-weaving) in the province and the country, said Alireza Zamani, the head of Dezful Islamic City Council, IRNA wrote.
He said that the villages and small cities affiliated to Dezful, with a privileged position in the field of natural, historical and religious tourism, have a treasure of talents in handicraft production, saying that this potential should be explored and used in the best possible manner.
Zamani said that over 90 percent of kapus are produced in the small workshops of Shahiyun, adding that paying attention to the talents of locals and allocating an adequate budget to the city’s handicraft production would help increase social satisfaction there and create reverse migration.
Head of Dezful’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department Hamidreza Khadem said that a large part of Dezful’s potential in the field of tourism and handicraft production has been left unattended.
He noted that the new strategies adopted by Dezful’s Islamic City Council is truly a golden opportunity, which should be used for the development of the city and its affiliated cities and villages.
“The Cultural Heritage Organization is prepared to cooperate with other bodies to develop the city’s tourism and handicrafts sectors,” he said.
Khadem continued that the establishment of a kapu house by the city’s municipality, with the aim of organizing the handicraft production, sale and exports, would be a fruitful step, which should be taken to make Shahiyun the hub of kapu production in the country.
Presently, 10 kapu-weaving workshops are operating in Dezful, and its affiliated cities and villages, where 2,000 artists are working.
With the originality, high quality and elegance of kapu, its production has created employment for a large number people.
It is categorized as a kind of mat-weaving done by weaving leaflets of palm trees around a special kind of straw-like object called kertak, which is a wild plant that grows in swamps and tropical climates.
The stem of kertak is very flexible. This feature helps increase the durability of kapu.
During recent years, weavers have begun incorporating colorful wool in their products to add to their beauty. Palm tree leaflets that are selected to be woven as kapu are young and white because they have not been exposed to the sun for a long time. They are then soaked in water for a day.
Since the core fibers of kapu, the kertak, are sensitive to humidity, they are best kept in dry conditions.