Sermeh duzi (Embroidery of the Sermeh)

The Sermeh duzi represents one of Iran's traditional embroidery and is made with a metallic yarn called Sermeh. In the Sermeh duzi, fabrics such as Termeh, velvet or linen are used. In ancient times, the Sermeh was a resilient gold, silver or alloy yarn that was wrapped - in the shape of a square or rectangle - around a silk yarn. Today, however, it is used in a spring shape. In the past, the Sermeh duzi was considered a merely majestic art whose apex is represented by the embroidered inscriptions on the cloth that covers the Ka'ba. On this drape, the verses of the Koran are sewn, in various Islamic spellings, through the use of the Sermeh. Nowadays, the most important expressions of Sermeh duzi's art can be found in the tablecloths, in the rutakhti, in the sajjādeh and in the jānamāz (both prayer rugs), in the covers of the Koran and in the paintings found in the Bāzār. Generally, these goods are produced in the cities of Esfahān, Kāshān, Tehrān and Yazd.