Monabat Kari is one of the oldest Persian handicrafts. This very beautiful art includes any type of carving on wood, bone, stone, metal, and other resistant surfaces, but among these, wood carving is more well-known compared to others.
What is Monabat Kari?
The art of carving on natural wood is known as Monabat Kari, although carving on other surfaces such as metal, bone, and stone is also a form of Monabat. In the art of carving on wood, all the designs are in relief and the parts around these designs are separated from the surface of the wood by means of tools. Unlike today’s carvings that are done by industrial machines, this art is completely done by people and is in the category of handicrafts. This art is one of the oldest handicrafts in the world with a history of several thousand years.
History of Monabat Kari
No one knows exactly when Monabat Kari art started in Iran. Based on the historical objects that this art has been used to make, probably the history of Monabat goes back to about 1500 years ago; Of course, this opinion is not definitive. According to some designs left over from the Achaemenid period, some historians believe that the use of this art goes back to the Achaemenid period. The oldest surviving work of inlay art in Iran dates back to about 1200 years ago. The wooden door of Jame Atiq Mosque in Shiraz is one of the unique inlaid works of wood, which is a combination of Tabriz wood and walnut wood.
What kind of wood is wood carving done on?
In wood carving, different types of natural wood can be used, but it is necessary that all these woods have high resistance. In Iran, several types of wood including Tabriz wood, walnut wood, beech wood, pear wood, and boxwood are used for carving. The reason for using these five types of wood is their very good resistance and flexibility for design, as well as the beauty and elegance of the final design of these woods.
What tools are used in carving?
Wood carving is the art of drawing on wood, and almost any carpentry tools are used in this art. The most important tool used in carving is the chisel. This tool is used to create different designs on wood. Chisel types have different sizes, each of which can have a different appearance in addition to the variety of sizes. To use a chisel, you can use both palm strike force and a hammer. According to the amount of force applied to the chisel and the angle of its placement on the wood, the created design is formed.
Monabat Kari steps
To make an object through the art of carving, 7 main steps must be done, which are:
Step 1: Drawing the initial design
The basic plan for starting Monabat Kari can be of any form. This design is drawn by a painter or designer and can include flowers, animals, or any desired design.
Step 2: Choosing the right wood
The wood used for carving should be strong, dense, and heavy. Light and softwoods are not suitable for Monabat Kari at all, and you cannot draw the desired design on it, and the object made will not be durable enough. The suitable wood for this work should have enough resistance against hammer and chisel blows. In addition to resistance, it is better that the selected wood should have a suitable color. The reason for choosing the right color is that after the design, part of the object will not be darkened by the shadows created by this design and its beauty will not be lost.
Step 3: Draw the design on the wood
At this stage, the desired design should be drawn on the wood. This step must be done carefully so that the carving can be done completely according to the original design.
Step 4: Preparing the wood surface
In some types of wood, the resistance of the wood may be so high that it is not possible to design it. In this case, before starting the carving, they cover the surface of the wood with some oil and after a few hours pass and the surface of the wood becomes softer, they start Monabat Kari.
Step 5: Remove extra parts
At this stage, all the extra parts around the original design are removed with a large chisel so that the original design remains in relief on the wood.
Step 6: Inlaying the main design
After removing the extra parts around the original design, using different sizes of chisel, they carve the desired design in a clear and complete way. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days (in some cases, months) depending on the complexity of the design and the strength of the wood.
Step 7: Final processing
After the complete preparation of the desired design, it is sanded until its surface is polished. After that, the work surface is painted or polished with special oils. This step is very important and the beauty of the final result depends on it. In some cases, when Monabat Kari is done on objects like kitchen cabinets, it is necessary to use other materials to cover the final design to increase its durability.
Caring for inlaid objects
Carving is an art that is mostly done on wood, and the care of objects made with this art is exactly like all other wooden objects. To increase the life of these objects, observe the following points:
• Keep these objects away from any food and drink. These substances cause damage to the texture of the wood.
• Heat can burn the wood and destroy the designs carved on it. Keep these objects away from heat.
• If these objects are exposed to sunlight for a long time, their wooden texture will be destroyed.
• Dust these objects regularly with a soft, lint-free cloth. You can use a damp cloth (the cloth should not be wet, just moistened with a very small amount of water will be enough.) to clean the dust.
• If your object is scratched or part of it is detached, repair it immediately. You can get help from a carpenter for this.
• Do not place these objects in the vicinity of water. Moisture causes the wood to swell and deteriorate.
• If a stain occurs on these objects, wipe them as soon as possible with a damp cloth. The passage of time makes stains last, and it becomes very difficult and often impossible to remove them.
