This project’s aim is to document the endangered material knowledge system of the production and use of Jahla. This traditional pottery was connected with daily life in this area until the middle of the 20th century, and Jahla making was a vital part of the rural economy in this region. Using simple tools and instruments characterizes this type of pottery. Currently “Jahla” is endangered as an instrument and a handicraft.
This project will make a record of Jahla makers techniques that will be available for future generations. Jahla is produced in the two villages of Shahvar and Hakami at 1100 meters and 3 kilometers west of Minab city, Hormozgan province. This project will be implemented from October 2023 to September 2024. The process of making this instrument will be documented in depth for the first time. The recorded documents will contain the edited data, including more than 10 hours of video and audio, over 150 photographs, text, and a 20-minute video documentary.
We will record the following stages of production and use:
- In the pre-making stage, raw materials, preparation of clay and tools for the Production of Jahla wares, and techniques for kneading will be documented. Cotton string, a brush made out of a palm leaf, needle, anvil, pit with ash and a small wooden paddle are the most essential tools for making Jahla wares.
- In the making stage, all processes, techniques, and types of Jahla will be collected. We will document part of their heritage that is no longer used outside these villages.
- The using stage consists of three parts; the first phase will be how to sell Jahla in the local Thursday market. The second one will be oral historical memories of Jahla production and use which will be used to outline changes in the material role of Jahla in people’s lives in the past few decades. The final phase of this study will be dedicated to the most important use of it today, which is its use as a percussion instrument.
This documentation records one of the ways of playing music in the south of Iran and will be connected to the music instrument’s larger knowledge network.
Primary Applicant:
Tahereh Rezaei
Co-Applicants:
Tahereh Moannaei
Hossein Mashari
Morteza Safa
Location of Research:
Hakami, Shahvar, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Host Institution:
Goethe University Frankfurt
Top Banner Image: Ali Habib Fakhkhar thins the Jahla base in the ash pit, in Hakami village, Minab, Hormozgan, Iran, 2023 (Photo: Hossein Mashari)