From the earliest and most primitive earthenware of ten-thousand years ago, to the intricate and delicate work of today's skilled artisans, clay has been used in Iran for more than 10,000 years to emote the passions, beliefs, and ideals of its culture. Long before the invention and integration of the pottery wheel in 4,000 B.C., the skilled hands of Iranian potters have allowed them to express themselves through their pottery.
Inscriptions on ancient Iranian earthenware tell the story of Iran's great culture and civilization. In addition to these inscriptions, the intricate use of designs including things like numbers, margined designs, circles, connected and coalesced curves, face-to-face or back-to-back birds, animals and flowers, and boughs and leaves are also integral to traditional Iranian pottery. Shape and color play a major role, too. Each of these elements come together to create a style and feel which are uniquely Iranian; a style that is poetic in its very nature.
Countless generations of Iranians have refined and changed the potter's art to create this unique style. The discoveries, techniques and tastes of many tribes and peoples have, over the course of centuries, been melded together to create this style of traditional Iranian pottery.
Recently, renewed interest and attention have been given to these pure, noble designs and techniques of the past. Once nearly forgotten, people have now come to recognize the significance of these ancient works in their cultural identity. The importance of this artistic heritage is being realized and emphasis is being placed on carrying these important traditions forward into Iran's future. There will always be a place for traditional art in modern Iran; so long as there are skilled artisans dedicated to carrying on what their forbearers started.
