Persian handicrafts have a long history, as Iranians have always excelled in art and culture. One of the articraft to be found in Abadeh, and specifically in Timche Sarafian caravanserai, is the Giveh traditional Iranian shoes. I became acquainted with these kind of shoes thanks to a chat with a young artisan, Ali, who has a small shop inside Timche Sarafian. Ali tells me that in the golden age, a thousand craftsmen in the Timche area produced Giveh shoes. Now Ali is one of the few artisans left; he learned the trade from his grandfather, and they have been artisan shoemakers for four generations. Ali started learning his skills at the age of 16 and is now 25. WHY THEY ARE SO POPULAR Giveh shoes, also know as Kalash in other areas of Iran where they are also produced, like Marivan in the Iranian Kurdistan, are a durable kind of traditional slippers made by the villagers, and used to be very popular all over Iran in the past thanks to their suitability for long marches. But this is not the only feature of these amazing shoes. One of the great characteristics of Giveh shoes is that they keep your feet cool thanks to the specific and natural materials used to make them, as well as the presence of pores in the fabric of the shoe top that allows ventilation inside the shoes, thus preventing any unpleasant odour. This is a real godsend if you think of the extreme heat in the Iranian summertime. Giveh shoes adapt perfectly to the the shape and morphology of the feet, from their top to their soles, the more you walk in them. They are also known to relieve fatigue and pain in the legs while walking. These features make Giveh shoes still very popular in spite of the huge number of modern shoes manufactured by shoe factories in the market. GIVEH PRODUCTION These are shoes that last a lifetime, and they have a lot of work behind them. All stages of the production of Giveh shoes are manual. Their top is generally made of two types of silk thread and cotton thread, and it can be washed innumerable times. Their sole has 3 layers, one of cotton, one of cowhide and one of leather (or rubber). Giveh shoes top is made mostly by women, always and religiously by hand, and on average a woman takes about 20 to 40 days to weave a pair of shoes, depending on the number of twists in the cotton and silk thread. Their soles and the final assembling is a men’s job. If you wander an Iranian market you can often see artisans making Giveh shoes inside small shops or make-shift stalls. Interestingly enough Giveh shoes have no right or left pair. Each of these handmade shoes can be worn either by the right or the left foot. Also, Giveh shoes have no variety of colours and are only made in plain white. GIVEH USAGE Give shoes were intended for and are typically worn by males. Initially they had a bow tie that was tangled to tight them to the feet, and they were heavily tipped, as men wore them while working. They traditionally have no female version; however, in some regions, Giveh shoes are also welcomed by women in the hot summertime. Hence, some producers have come up with designs intended for women, beautiful and attractive designs with colourful bows and cottons and even some decorations that make Giveh shoes suitable for pairing with all kinds of fashionable clothes. Before starting to use Giveh shoes, they need to be rubbed on the grass so that any holes left in the soles are filled by it; this way, Giveh shoes will be naturally waterproof. EXPENSIVE BUT GREEN The price of Giveh shoes is high by the local standards, costing from 2 million to 6 million tomans (40 to 120 euros). The price mainly depends on the type of sole and on the weaves in the cotton and silk thread with which the shoe covers are made. Giveh shoes is definitely an investment from the point of view of the environment: as they are made only by natural materials, they do not cause any environmental pollution during their production. And even after many years, as their materials are completely natural and decompose in less than a year, returning to their natural elements. I take leave of Ali, but not before ordering my tailor-made Giveh shoes. Not only do I buy an excellent product that will remind me of this amazing country each time I wear it, but I will also sponsor a young and enthusiastic artisan that keeps alive this incredible Iran art.

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It was during one of my wanderings around the small town of Abadeh in Iran that I discovered an unexpected gem. The Abbas Gholi Khan Historical House is one of the ancient buildings in Abadeh: it dates back to the period of the Qajars, a Turcoman dynasty of Persia who were originally a tribe settled in the Iranian Caucasus who ruled Persia from 1794 to 1925. Their kingdom, called the Sublime State of Persia, was founded by Muḥammad Khān Qājār after defeating and killing the last Zand ruler precisely in 1794. But let’s go back to the Abbas Gholi Khan: the front boundary walls in earthen bricks and at least 5 meters high, and a massive wooden door surmounted by a splendid and colourful mosaic with Arabic writing clearly indicated that there was something special in there, so I entered. Wonders of wonders, inside I found myself in a courtyard adorned by a rectangular fountain in the center, and all around local craft shops as well as small rooms that house a sort of museum. While old amphorae, water pumps from other times and antique wooden furniture have been placed in the courtyard, inside the rooms there is a real exhibition, with antique beds and sofas, colourful mosaics, copper kitchen utensils, dishes and amphorae, a mixture of paraphernalia and miscellaneous objects, as well as a collection of hundreds of matchboxes. This is one of the most interesting features of Abbas Gholi Khan Historical House, thanks to which I experienced the feeling of traveling into the past and returning not only to the Qajar era, but to other more recent periods as well. The architecture of the Abbas Gholi Khan is a perfect example of a central courtyard house with unique stucco and wooden decorations. I read that the southern part of the building, including a well from which the drinking water supply came, the water tank, the entrance and the kitchen were demolished in the seventies to make room for the widening of the road. A pity they have not managed to preserve this incredible time-machine as it should. This too is a bit like a caravanserai, similar to the Timche Sarafian but much more beautiful and well-kept. Here I found some similarities with the Havelis of Rajasthan, in India. In the upper floor, balconies overlooking the square host tables and chairs, an invitation to climb the stairs that I didn’t miss. Above, apart from the spacious terraces and the lovely balconies from which to admire the courtyard below, I found a cafeteria which includes various rooms, also furnished like a small museum: a mixture of arabesque and European styles of the early twentieth century, with vintage objects on racks and shelves, chairs and tables in classic wood and various 70s objects such as old radios and televisions. I approached the girl behind the counter, and while I initially intended to order a coffee, intrigued by the shiny and modern coffee machine on display, I casually eyed a shelf where a series of glass jars containing various types of teas and herbal teas were displayed , which immediately won me over. I ordered a rose tea and sat down. I was the only customer, but that didn’t last for long. Towards dusk the place filled up with young locals. They come here to have a coffee or a smoothie and chat, play backgammon or simply spend some time between boys and girls (without a veil) away from the eyes of the ‘right-thinking’. The day in Abadeh was warm but the sunset already heralds a chilli evening. The mountains surrounding the city are still covered in snow, although winter is near to reaching its epilogue. I enjoy the delicious rose tea served in a pretty cup with floral motifs, sweetened with traditional sticks covered with yellow caramelised sugar, and I rest, thinking about how nice it is to wander and meet magical places like Abbas Gholi Khan Historical House. For a full display of my PHOTOS click HERE

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