Global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture

The western Iranian city of Malayer in Hamedan Province of Iran is registered as “The World City of Woodcarving and Wood-carved Furniture” With the approval of the World Crafts Council’s inspectors in January 2020. Malayer is one of the southern townships of Hamedan province, with a temperate and mountainous climate.

Most of the city’s population is engaged in the production of wooden crafts, especially traditional furniture. Although it has existed for a long time, it has reached its peak for nearly half a century.

In some cases, the whole family is engaged in traditional furniture making, and although they did not make much money, their love for crafts and the increasing endurance of wood carving artists of Malayer today show the world a new face of this art-craft.

Artists in the area use beech and walnut wood to produce a variety of products, including traditional furniture, classics, steel, and furniture. Other products include dining tables, desks, chairs, beds, and decorative items.

Today, more than 60% of furniture and wood carving products in Iran are manufactured in Malayer, and they are sent to many Iranian cities and exported to other countries such as Central Asia, Persian Gulf countries, Turkey and Iraq.

Gol-Dorosht (pattern of large flower), Gol-Riz (pattern of small flower), English, Posht Beyzi (with oval back), Kharchangi (crab from), Motakkayi (pillow form), Dasteh-choobi (with wooden handle), Soozani (needle form) and Se-Bo’di (three-dimensional) are the main patterns and styles of making furniture in Malayer that are produced in three general kinds of Egyptian, Classical and Modern.

Some 85,000 sets of carved furniture are produced in Iran every year, 50,000 of which are produced in Malayer alone. Today, more than 8,000 artists are active in more than 4,000 workshops, and several centers are training, developing, and promoting this art- craft.