Monday, July 30, 2007: Zanjan and Ostaad Heydari

Inside the train to Zanjan.


I took the train at six this morning. Mom came with me to the train station to see me off. The train was so clean. I paid $6.60 for a round trip ticket to Zanjan. They gave us passengers earphones, breakfast, and newspapers. We watched a movie on the flat screen and could listen to a choice of songs! It took us four and a half hours to get to Zanjan.

I walked to the Museum where Ostaad Heydari works. The guard at the door, whom I remembered from last year, greeted me and told me that Ostaad Heydari's workshop has been moved to the Zanjan Office of Traditional Handcraft. A shame since the museum exposed him and his craft to tourists. The guard gave me the directions to the office and by the time I got off the taxi, Ostaad Heydari was waiting for me in the street! The guard had called him and told him of my coming.

Ostaad Heydari and two students.


Once in the building, Ostaad Heydari took me around and introduced me to the other Ostaads and to his new students. A few traditional workshops were set up with both students and masters at work: woodworking, silversmith, carpet weaving, charough, etc. I interviewed Ostaad Heydari and a few of his students at length and interestingly, his students praised Ostaad Heydari for his patience and easy manner, a thing I noticed immediately last year when I visited him for the first time. I gave Ostaad Heydari the book on shoes throughout the times that I had purchased for him in the USA and after he looked at it, everyone wanted to have a look. Ostaad Heydari liked the book very much and was coming up with ideas for shoes. He told me the shellac I had sent him was very good and he wouldn't stop thanking me. I'm glad I was able to help him. Later on, Ostaad insisted on taking me to his house for lunch where I met his wife, daughter, and son in law. He wanted me to stay the night, but I felt better staying at a hotel.


Zanjan from my hotel window.


Before heading off the the Craft Expo, I stopped at the Internet cafe where worked from last year. I didn't have any problems opening up blogger, but I've been having much difficulty at home lately. I posted a few entries and then took a cab to the Expo.

Zanjan Craft Expo.

Ostaad Heydari and his giant Charough.


At the Craft Expo, Ostaad Heydari had two booths; one manned by him, and the other by his daughter in law, Shabnam. Lovely works of art! Ostaad had his giant charough on display and people were stopping by to admire it. There were all sorts of booths: local and national handicrafts plus an abundance of carpet dealers.

View of Zanjan from the Craft Fair.


Later on, I went over to Zari's aunt, Mahmonir joon, and had a lovely dinner at her place. Her daughters and grandchildren, plus two friends of the family were there. What a lovely lady. She had cooked such a wonderful meal for me. One of her nephews gave me a ride back to my hotel. Mahmonir joon has a traditional house which dates back over half a century and the government has declared it a historical building.

Mahmonir Joon in the garden of her house in Zanjan.

Sunday, July 29, 2007: Ostaad Finastian and a Home For A Kind Dog

Tehran at dusk from my Mother's building.


Yes, I found a home for the puppy. It was not too difficult because most people are willing to help. I found three homes for him. All in the Caspian Sea region where people are kind to dogs and have many of them in their properties. It was a lot of work to finally get him to the adopted home since Ostaad Elahi's glassblowing workshop is in the southern most tip of Tehran and the adopted owners are visiting Aghdas's cousin who lives in the northern most point of Tehran.

Two women working on their pieces at Ostaad Finastian's workshop.


This morning, I went to observ Ostaad Finastian and interview him. I was also able to interview two of his students, a woman and a man. It was funny, because Ostaad Finastian wanted to hear what he had said at the interview and what his students had said, so I gave him my digital recorder and he held it to his ear and listened as he instructed the students! It was pretty loud with the hammering in the room but he was able to listen to most of the interview. I don't get the sense that he was worried about what they had said, he was interested in hearing an interview. He was also teasing the two students that he was listening to what they said about him.

I went home, called Ebrahim and arranged to pick him up with Mom's car at the same spot I picked him up last time. Mom went to her bridge (card game) party. At three in the afternoon, I took Mom's car, got Ebrahim who took over the driving, went to pick up my train ticket for my trip to Zanjan tomorrow, and then went to Ostaad Elahi's workshop. We arranged old newspapers on the back seat and I had to pick up the puppy and put him in the car. He is a very shy, timid dog. He is always apprehensive about what might happen.

My Puppy at his new home.


It was a long drive and I sat in the back with my Puppy. He was so well behaved. Did not bark or wimmper. We arrived at the house and brought him in. Very nice gentleman, Aghdas's cousin. He has three dogs of his own. Puppy drooled a bit in the car and made me very wet, but what a nice dog.

I dropped off Ebrahim at the spot where he catches the bus back home and drove the remaining of the way back, parked Mom's car and joined her at her friend's house where they were playing bridge (in one of the towers in Mom's compound).