Setting
Kermanshah lies in a Zagros valley near the Sasanian reliefs of Taq-e Bostan, with a long covered bazaar in the old town.
Why this place matters for craft
Kurdish giveh footwear, felt and village weaving reach the city market from surrounding districts. Some nineteenth-century carpets carry a 'Kermanshah' trade label that reflects marketing rather than local production, a point dealers often note.
Quarters, bazaars and workshops
| Area | What is there |
|---|---|
| Bazaar-e Tarike | Long covered market with footwear, textile and copper sections. |
What to look for on an object
- Giveh — Hand-worked cotton upper on a stitched sole; the sole shows layered material, not moulded rubber.
These notes are for learning to look, not for authentication. No description here certifies an object, its age or its origin.
Practical notes
- Taq-e Bostan is the standard pairing with a bazaar visit.
- Workshop addresses, bazaar hours and market days change; confirm locally before travelling.
Season: Spring and autumn.
Used in these crafts
A traditional handmade summer shoe with a cotton-thread woven or crocheted upper and a sole historically made of pressed cotton fabric or leather, produced in a number of Iranian towns known for the craft.
A hand-knotted pile textile woven across Iran in city workshops, village looms and pastoral camps, distinguished by regional structure, palette and design vocabulary.
A flat, pileless woven textile made across Iran by interlocking or slit-weaving coloured weft threads over a warp, used as floor covering, storage bag, saddle cover and tent divider depending on region.
A non-woven wool textile made by matting and pressing raw wool fibres with moisture, heat and friction rather than by weaving, traditionally produced across Iran for floor coverings, cloaks and protective mats.
The Iranian tradition of decorating copper, brass and silver vessels with small chisels struck by hammer, working the metal into line, ground and relief.