Rich, beckoning heritage of Malayer’s marquetry art
By Leila Imeni
Staff writer
Monabat-Kari (marquetry) has been flourishing in Iran for centuries. It is one of the valuable arts and traditional crafts produced and showcased in several cities across the country. Skilled artisans carefully and passionately apply pieces of inlays to surfaces, creating intricate decorative patterns and designs. Most marquetry work is done on wood, and the patterns crafted are highly beautiful and captivating to the eye.
Malayer is the second-largest city of Hamadan Province after Hamadan. A significant portion of this historic Iranian city’s population is engaged in woodworking crafts, especially the traditional art of furniture-making and Monabat-Kari. In 2019, Malayer’s woodwork and marquetry products were recognized during an inspection by the World Crafts Organization, meeting all UNESCO criteria, including quality, authenticity, excellence, historical significance, creativity, and innovation. Later, in December it was officially registered Malayer as World Craft City for Carved Wooden Furniture.
In this city, experienced artists, with years of expertise, produce a large share of Iran’s marquetry and woodworks. Malayer, with numerous workshops and thousands of craftsmen, supplies a significant part of Iran’s high-quality marquetry products to domestic and international markets.
Choosing the appropriate wood depends on the color and type of design intended by the artisan. Among various woods walnut, pear, cherry, elm, ash, Tabrizi and sedar are most frequently used in crafting artistic marquetry pieces. Each type of wood has a unique color and grain, which greatly enhances the final aesthetic and beauty of the artwork.
Like any fine art, Monabat-Kari involves diverse styles and techniques, all of which are highly intricate and delicate. Besides marquetry, other related arts such as carving and inlay art are also prominent, each requiring specific tools and equipment, reflecting the rich cultural and artistic heritage of this craft.
Mohammad Rahmati, a native of Malayer, is one of the artisans working in the field of marquetry in Malayer. He represented the talented craftspeople of the city at the recent Khorasan Razavi Tourism and Handicrafts Exhibition held in Mashhad.
In an interview with Iran Daily, Rahmati explained, “Malayer is known in the world for two main things: grape production and marquetry furniture. What we do is a branch of Monabat-Kari named Peykar-Tarashi (sculpture-carving).”
He added, “We reuse and revive dried tree trunks from our city — rather than cutting them down, and transform them into sculptures and woodworks. All of our works is entirely hand-crafted; we design and produce without digital tools or machines, relying solely on skill and precision.”
The woods used for these artistic creations are mostly walnut, cherry, and cedar, because the stronger and more durable the material, the better suited it is for detailed marquetry work.
Rahmati further highlighted, “Regarding the recognition of our craft both inside Iran and internationally, Malayer is quite famous in this field. We have customers from abroad, especially Arab countries that purchase our work. We have sent pieces like eagle sculptures and inlaid furniture to Qatar.”
“Inside Iran, most of our clients are from Tehran. While Malayer is well-known for its furniture industry, I personally focus only on sculpture work, not furniture manufacturing.”
Finally, Rahmati explained, “Malayer does not have direct export channels, but foreign buyers contact local producers and merchants directly. For example, through exhibitions like this one and the Tourism and Handicrafts Exhibition, held annually in Tehran, most of our international clients from Arab countries acquire our products.”