Zardozi, or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from
Classical Persian
Persian ( ), also known by its endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoke ...
زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; ; , , , ), is an
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian,
Indian-subcontinent and
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
n embroidery type. Zardozi comes from two Persian words: ''zar'' or ''zarin'' meaning 'gold', and ''dozi'' meaning 'sewing'.
Zardozi is a type of heavy and elaborate metal embroidery on a silk, satin, or velvet fabric base.
Zardozi embroidery uses a wide variety of gold and silver embellishments such as: flat metal wires, spangles, coiled wires, heavy wires, and twisted wires. Designs are often created using gold and silver threads and can incorporate pearls, beads, and precious stones. It is used as decoration for a wide range of applications, including clothes, household textiles, and animal trappings.
Historically, it was used to adorn the walls of royal tents, scabbards, wall hangings and the paraphernalia of regal elephants and horses.
Initially, the embroidery was done with pure silver wires and real gold leaves. However, today, craftsmen make use of a combination of copper wire, with a golden or silver polish, and silk thread.
Iran
Zardozi is an important
handicraft
A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...
in Persian culture. It is known around the country by names such as ''zar-douzi'' (), ''kam-douzi'' (), ''gol-douzi'' () and ''kaman-douzi'' (). Nowadays it is more popular in
Hormozgan, especially in
Bandar-e Lenge
Bandar Lengeh () is a city in the Central District of Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Bandar Lengeh is a port city on the Persian Gulf, from Lar, from Bandar Abba ...
,
Bandar-e Abbas, and
Minab.
Persian zardozi is of three kinds:
* Some people completely sew the basic fabric with Bakhie () in order to produce novel patterns and colors, such as the
Baloch's Souzan-douzi (),
Rasht
Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...
's Qollab-douzi () and
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
's Pate-douzi ().
* Some sew with less density of work on the original fabric. They cross the strings throughout the woof of the fabric and sew them to each other to form a colorfully patterned lattice, such as ''sekke-douzi'' () or ''qollab-douzi'' () in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
.
* A third way is to sew a variety of patterns on the original fabric with gold and silver strings, such as ''Dah-Yek-Douzi'' (), Naqade-douzi (), Tafte-douzi (), Kous-douzi () Zari-douzi () or Golabatoun-douzi ().
Indian subcontinent

As an embroidery, zardozi was first used in the 14th century. It prospered during the 17th century during the reign of the
Mughal empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
, but later a loss of royal patronage and
industrialization
Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...
led to its decline. The craft began to experience a resurgence in popularity following
India's independence in 1947.
The majority of zardozi workers are
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. Zardozi and chikan were historically favored by Muslim elites; products made in these styles symbolized wealth, power and status. This craft is practiced throughout India, from major cities like
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, and
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
to smaller centers such as
Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
,
Bareilly
Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...
, and
Farrukhabad
Farrukhabad is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Farrukhabad tehsil. This city is on the banks of river Ganges is from the national capital Delhi and from the state capital Lucknow.
His ...
. Common to zardozi production in these diverse places is its association with an 'Islamicate,' particularly Mughal, courtly culture and a perceived Muslim aesthetic. Today, zardozi is also popular in the cities of
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
,
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
and
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...
. In 2013, the
Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded
Geographical Indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...
(GI) registration to the Lucknow zardozi. With GI status, zardozi artisans, distributors, and retailers in Lucknow and the six surrounding districts of
Barabanki,
Unnao
Unnao is a city and district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Unnao is located on the eastern bank of the Ganges River, and it is a satellite city of Kanpur. Administratively, Unnao lies within Unnao district, the district of Unnao and is ...
,
Sitapur
Sitapur is a city and a municipal board in Sitapur district in the States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located 90 kilometres north of state capital, Lucknow. The traditional origin for the name is said to be by ...
,
Rae Bareli,
Hardoi and
Amethi can become authorized users of the "Lucknow zardozi" brand and carry a unique mark of authenticity.
Zardozi is a popular embroidery choice across
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
especially for wedding or formal wear, with artisans and couture houses alike producing clothing with zardozi work
Central Asia
Zardozi has also been present in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
and
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
since ancient times.
References
External links
*
{{Uzbek clothing
Culture of Lucknow
Embroidery in India
Pakistani embroidery
Turkish embroidery
Azerbaijani embroidery
Kuwaiti embroidery
Iraqi embroidery
Persian embroidery
Persian handicrafts
Iranian clothing
Persian words and phrases
Economy of Lucknow
Culture of Tajikistan
Culture of Uzbekistan
Uzbek clothing