Hinji-Duzi: Decorative art of Iran’s Turkmen

Hinji-Duzi is the art of decorating clothing that has been used for centuries by Turkmen women.

The art, inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, is a traditional type of beadwork and Turkmen style of Monjugh-Duzi.

Lohondor is a small village in the northern Golestan province where Hinji-Duzi is still very popular.

Mojughs, little glass-like beads, are sewn on garments and other fabrics in Hinji-Duzi.

There are some historical documents and evidence that prove this art was quite popular during the Achaemenid and Sassanid eras.

Back then tents, carpets, and garments were decorated by Monjughs. However, it was a custom specific to aristocrats.

The material for making Monjugh has changed over time from gemstones to glass and turned into a handicraft practiced and used by ordinary people.

Earlier this month, at the 17th session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which was held in Morocco, Turkmen-style needlework was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity jointly for Iran and Turkmenistan.

Turkmen-style needlework is a decorative applied art used on the national dress of people of all genders and ages in Turkmenistan and Iran.

Iranian Turkmen are known for their unique handmade products in the country.

MM/AG