City of Dolls

City of dolls

The Museum of “Dolls and culture of South Khorasan” was established in Akbariyeh Garden, Birjand in 9 March 2017. Natural Resource and Watershed of South Khorasan

Organization (international project of Carbon Sequestration) with the cooperation of Museum of “United Dolls Museum” and Cultural, Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism

Organization of South Khorasan has stablished this museum in order to familiarize people, in particular young generation with dolls and Iranian culture. Particularly, the

museums attempts at introducing the dolls, the culture and the nature of South Khorasan to the visitors and to preserve this cultural heritage and treasure.

I always thought “City of dolls” can only be found in children’s dreams.

Until winter 2017 that I was invited by the Museum of “United Dolls Museum” in order to cooperate with the construction project of the “Museum of Dolls and culture of South

Khorasan” in Birjand.

Following our tradition in such projects we started our journey with searching for the dolls around the villages.

As usual in such a projects, we started Getting around in the villages for finding dolls. One of the villages we ought to visit was “Tajmir” in a town called Sarbisheh.

I could not even imagine behind the doors of these muddy houses a world of color and stories might be awaiting us; where dolls work, marry, give birth and die; where dolls

live.

In this house-to-house search, Asieh, Hadiseh and Hanieh- 3 doll -makers from Tajmir Village- told me about their dolls, their village and their traditions. I live in Tajmir which is

45 km away from Sarbisheh. Our women here make handicraft, scarfs and bracelet. But most women make dolls as well.

For making button doll, first we sew a usual dress underneath the doll and then we make the face. We put two buttons for the eyes and we use chador on the head and

kerchief like the one on Grandma's head. Why do we use dress?

Because these pieces of dress represent Balouch people and are made based on their tastes and ideals. Since 2014, we have set up our Doll -making workhouses. We hold exhibitions and our

Dolls show our culture. These Dolls are made of wood, embroidery (Kobdaan), wool, colored cloth, black cloth for the kerchief, yarn (thread), beads for decorating, the ornamentation of Chadors representing their hejab, and pieces of cloth for the neck.

Then we dress up the dolls and we give each a job. Not only adults, but even children do wear headscarves. Kobdaan -meaning piece- is an important element of a Dolls, in

addition to the colored wool taken from our sheep and the mirror embroideries that are all sewn on the Kobdaans. Profession is also significant for each Dolls. Baby sitting and

kitchen chores for mothers, livestock, poultry keeping and farming for fathers.

Each Doll has a story and each story shows their life attractions! We have a Dolls named “Chelitek”. All village children get together and write their poems behind Chelitek and sing for the rainfall. There is a song saying: “Deer is sitting

on a stone, Deer is limping out of thirst, Oh God! Send us rain from the bless of the holy shrine, the black cloud is getting close oh God Send us rain …”

On the way back from the City of Dolls, I draw a Doll wearing a dress patterned with raindrops on the steamed windows of the car; I hear the voice of the village woman constantly repeated my ear! “I wish it would have rained. Swear to the mothers’

bless….. Oh, rain! Oh, rain! I wish it would have rained.”