HERAT -- Several veteran craftsmen use pickaxes to produce fine and delicate tiles in a large workshop situated in the historic Grand Mosque of Herat city.
Their products include various types of traditional tiles -- including one-colour, seven-colour, glazed, unglazed, shaded and unshaded ones, said Zalmai Safa, director of the Historic Sites Protection Office at Herat's Department of Information and Culture.
These handmade decorative tiles are placed on the walls of historic buildings across Afghanistan.
The workshop was built during the dynasty of Sultan Ghiyas ad-Din Ghori, who reigned from 1163 to 1203.
![Craftsmen produce fine and delicate tiles using pickaxes in Herat city December 29. [Omar/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/01/05/40151-k_2-739_416.webp)
Craftsmen produce fine and delicate tiles using pickaxes in Herat city December 29. [Omar/Salaam Times]
"Herat's traditional tile workshop ... maintains the industry's original style and form," Safa said. "The traditional tiles produced here in Herat are not produced in any other country."
"All the raw materials are obtained from within Afghanistan," he added. "The stone that we use to produce tiles is obtained from the Harirud river ... and the lapis lazuli from Badakhshan."
"There are no chemical materials of any kind in the composition of traditional Herat tiles," he said.
The city's traditional tile making has not been widely recognised across the world, but it should be registered under the name of Afghanistan on UNESCO's World Heritage List, said Safa.
"These tiles have been used to decorate the Grand Mosque as well as several shrines including [those of] Maulana Abdul Rahman Jami and Hussain Waez Kashfi in Herat, and other historic places across the country."
Preserving a civilisation
Herat's traditional tile making workshop had 35 employees until 1991.
Now, only 11 artisans work in various sections of the workshop after years of war and economic crises.
Jalil Ahmad Karimi, 50, has been working in the workshop for 25 years. He learned the craft from his father, who himself worked for more than 50 years in the workshop.
"I was very young when I first started working in the workshop," he said. "I have spent more than half of my life here, and it is very valuable to me."
"The art of tile making is my father's legacy, and I will work in the workshop for the rest of my life," he added. "I will not give it up as long as I am able to work. My father devoted his life to this profession, and I will continue in his footsteps."
Karimi said he loves his work because his handmade products are used in the Grand Mosque and other historic places.
"Traditional tile making is part of our culture and civilisation and we will not let it fade out," he said.
"Afghanistan has a very rich civilisation and history, and these honours should be passed on to future generations."
Bashir Ahmad Faqiri, 53, has been working for more than 40 years in the tile making workshop.
"I work from 8am to 4pm during workdays and use my axe to make tiles," he said. "I enthusiastically work every day and will not let this ancient art die out in our country."
Faqiri also inherited the profession from his father and he said he is determined to pass his legacy on to his children.
"The traditional tiles produced in the Herat tile making workshop are unique worldwide," he said.
"With the traditional tiles we produce, we have saved the Grand Mosque and other ancient places. If these tiles were not there, the beauty and strength of the Grand Mosque would have been lost."
The power of traditional workmanship
The tiles produced by the workshop are of the same style and design produced 800 years ago, and the artisans work diligently to preserve this tradition.
The art of tile making has been passed down from one generation to another while retaining its original style and uniqueness, said Ahmad Ahmadi, 52, who has been working for over 40 years in the workshop.
"We produce traditional and handmade tiles. Our work tools are just an axe and a small hammer with which we delicately make the tiles," he said.
"Tiles are produced by machines in other countries. The same machine-made tiles are used to decorate historic places in some countries," he said. "But Afghan tiles are handmade."
"The durability and beauty of traditional tiles surpass those of machine-made tiles," he added.
"Historical tiles are still present in the Grand Mosque," said Maroof Mohammadi, an engineer responsible for the restoration of the tiles of the mosque.
"These handmade tiles have remained beautiful and strong because of their quality and elegance after about eight centuries. This shows the power of handicraft art."
The tiles produced today by the Herat traditional tile making workshop are no different from the 800-year-old tiles used in the historic building, he confirmed.
The preservation of the style and authenticity of the traditional tiles is the reason for the beauty of the Grand Mosque and other historic places where these tiles are used, he added.
The beauty of the traditional tiles of Herat province is unique. The artisans of Herat province should try to teach this tile making to the next generations. Afghanistan imports tiles from our neighboring country Iran every year in the cost millions of Afghani, but the quality of tiles we have is not the same quality as Iranian tiles; however, our governments, especially the Department of Information and Culture of Herat province, have not paid any attention to the art of tile making. If the Department of Information and Culture of Herat province had invested in this same tile workshop, it would have started tile production from the government budget, and would have received contracts from other government agencies, which could strengthen the country's economy, and the traditional culture of tile making would not have been lost. I am sorry to say that our governments have not paid any attention to our information, culture and industrial works.
Reply3 Comment
Indeed, the war took away many values of our dear country, Afghanistan. Although the international community helped Afghanistan to some extent in the past twenty years, unfortunately there was no regular government system that could regularly receive the aids of the international community and use it in the development and revival of the country. On one hand, 75% of the aid announced by foreign countries in the name of Afghanistan was returned to the same countries. For example, citizens of those same countries were employed on higher positions in the foreign institutions, receiving tens of thousands of dollars in salary and taking their aid money back to their country. Not long ago, an employee of an international institution based in Kabul said that among the aid given to international organizations to spend in Afghanistan, 51% of it is allocated to the administrative expenses of the United Nations. Out of the remaining 49%, the generous salaries of the international staff of the United Nations are given. It is spent on their entertainment and conveniences. Approximately 10 to 30% reaches the people of Afghanistan. That is, if 100 million dollars of aid is announced, 10 to 30 million of it will reach Afghanistan.
Reply3 Comment
Herat is the center of knowledge, art, and industry. My suggestion is that Herat's arts should be spread to other parts of the country. Every positive thing should be sent out to others so that others can be enlightened. Long live the knowledge and art of Herat. Death to Iranian bigots who mistreat Afghans.
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