TEHRAN – A local ritual known as ‘Sarborun’ in Hesar-e Hasan Beyk village of Varamin county, Tehran province, has been registered as an intangible heritage site.

According to ISNA, ‘Sarborun’ is a local festival that is held at the end of the weaving of a handmade carpet. With the presence of rural women and accompanied by traditional instruments and drums, neighbors bring sweets, fruits and nuts and recite local poems, and remove the completed carpet from the loom with scissors and take it down.

Head of the Varamin Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department Mohammadreza Tajik described the ritual’s registration as a symbol of the authenticity of the carpet weaving art of Varamin plain.

He stated: “In the last meeting of the Council for the Registration of Works of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, this ritual was registered as one of the indigenous traditions of the region.”

Tajik stated that the preparation and documentation of the file for Sarborun ritual began two years ago, adding that the process was carried out with the efforts of experts from  Varamin Cultural Heritage Department and Tehran Cultural Heritage Department in cooperation with a handicrafts activist from Hesar-e Hasan Beyk village, and was completed with the support of Varamin’s governor’s office, Javadabad district, and the rural district .

He continued that Sarborun ritual is linked to the art of carpet weaving of women and girls in the region and has played an important role in shaping the cultural identity of the region. “The national registration of this ritual provides a good opportunity to introduce the cultural capacities and art of Varamin's Minakhani  pattern of carpet weaving to tourists and enthusiasts of local culture.”

Minakhani pattern is composed of small flowers, brick border decorated with flowers and palmette. 

Tajik emphasized that  in addition to protecting the country's valuable culture and history, registering historical monuments and local rituals is effective in strengthening the position of the county's villages at the national level, developing tourism infrastructure, supporting local artists, and promoting the handicrafts.

KD