World Crafts City of Kalash, Giveh

Marivan is an important and beautiful border city of Kurdistan Province in Iran, in the vicinity of the Iran-Iraq border, in the western part of Iran. Kalash (Giveh) of Marivan has a global reputation in terms of its variety and quality.

In 2017, after the trip of the evaluates of World Handicraft Council for confirming the status of the production, sale, and teaching of handicrafts, this city was registered as the World City for the production of Kalash (Giveh). It is worth mentioning that Iran occupies first place in terms of the number of cities and villages in the world of crafts.

Kalash also called Giveh is a type of Iranian footwear knotted by hand with cotton or wool and natural leather threads. Most of the raw material is domestic and this handcraft is handmade.

These white shoes have an equal design for both sizes, so they are convenient for the weather conditions and are among the main characteristics of dressing in this region.

The presence of about 4000 artists working in Giveh production is the most significant potential to register these shoes as an art and Marivan as the World City of this handcraft. Giveh weaving has generated the most employment among the various arts in Marivan and is considered an important industry.

This special cotton shoe dates back to over 1000 years ago in the Kurdistan region. This durable handwoven-top shoe does not cause any environmental pollution after use because it is made entirely of natural fabrics, with no industrial materials.