Mahtab Norouzi Explained

Mahtab Norouzi
Native Name:مهتاب نوروزی
Native Name Lang:fa
Birth Date:c. 1934
Birth Place:Qasemabad, Bampur, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran
Death Date:14 July 2012
Death Place:Qasemabad, Bampur, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran
Years Active:c. 1949–c. 2008
Known For:Baluchi needlework and embroidery

Mahtab Norouzi (Persian: مهتاب نوروزی, c. 1934 – 14 July 2012)[1] was an Iranian Balochi master artisan in traditional Balochi needlework and embroidery.[2] [3]

Biography

Mahtab Norouzi (English: Moonlight New Year) was born in c. 1934 and had lived in the small village of Qasemabad, Bampur in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran.[4] She had learned to do the traditional Balochi embroidery from her mother, starting at age 15. She never married and lived alone, but she taught all the children in the village her crafting skills.[5] She worked for nearly 50 years, creating various textiles.[6]

The art of traditional Iranian needlework was largely forgotten until the early 1980s, with an influx of imported and mass manufactured products mimicking the style. As a result, the providence of this type of work is not always known. In 2007, she was honored with the title of one of the "Forgotten Treasures of Iranian Art" by the Iranian Academy of the Arts, they had named only thirteen people with this title. Additionally the Cultural Heritage Office of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province gave her a pension payment for a few years for her work.

The last four years of her life she stopped embroidery because she struggled with back problems, low vision, and Alzheimer's disease; and she lived with her niece Zeinab Norouzi who is also a noted craftsperson. Norouzi died on 14 July 2012 in Qasemabad, Bampur.

Shahbanu Farah Diba Pahlavi had worn Balochi embroidered clothes in various ceremonies, and some of that work is thought to have been made by Norouzi. Her works are included in the Sa'dabad Museum in Tehran.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 15 July 2012 . مهتاب نوروزی، مشهورترین سوزن دوز بلوچ درگذشت . Mahtab Norouzi, the most famous Baloch needlewoman, has died . 10 March 2022 . BBC News فارسی . fa.
  2. Web site: 14 July 2012 . استاد سوزن‌دوزي بلوچ درگذشت . The master of Baloch needlework died . 10 March 2022 . ایسنا (ISNA) . fa.
  3. Web site: به بهانه سالروز درگذشت مهتاب سیستان و بلوچستان / وقتی خاطرات به تاریخ می‌پیوندند . On the pretext of the anniversary of the death of Mahtab Sistan and Baluchestan / When memories go down in history . 11 March 2022 . خبرگزاری هنر ایران (Honar) . fa.
  4. Web site: 16 July 2012 . مهتاب نوروزی؛ نماد نیم قرن سوزن دوزی در بلوچستان . Mahtab Norouzi; Symbol of half a century of needlework in Balochistan . 10 March 2022 . BBC News فارسی . fa.
  5. Web site: 14 July 2012 . مهتاب؛ هنرمندي كه بي‌امضا از دنيا رفت . Mahtab; An artist who died without signing . 10 March 2022 . ایسنا (ISNA) . fa.
  6. Web site: 17 July 2016 . پهره – یادی از برجسته ترین سوزن دوز ایران «مهتاب نوروزي» . Remembrance of the most prominent needlewoman in Iran "Mahtab Norouzi" . 11 March 2022 . پهره (pahreh.ir) . fa.