Anthropological Analysis of Fort-weaving Art Case Study: Torbat e Jam

The art of Weaving in Torbat e Jam is known with the name of Fort-weaving (Traditional cloth Weaving) or cloth-weaving with its simple and various designs related to that area. Although Fort-weaving is not known much like the Yazd›s silk-weaving, Neyshabour›s Bard-weaving and Gilan›s Gelimcheh-weaving throughout the Country, it is known greatly in this area and is included among the domestic occupations which plays a significant role in the establishment of employment for women and is done with an elementary machine which is made of inhabitants surrounding devices. This investigation aims at describing and investigating this separated and unknown area of today›s Torbat e Jam and the former Boozhgan or Boozgan. An arid and desert-like land which has grown accustomed to the humming of ruthless winds, but its indefatigable inhabitants has strived hard with nature and at time of ingeniousness has produced startling pictures. In this study, through interview with the weavers, it was found that Fort-weaving dates back to several hundred years ago and in the course of their growth and evolution, the agricultural and pastoral life of the people who earned their living through their own products improved gradually and found its place in economic, artistic, literary and other aspect of people›s life and became an indispensible part of these people life. Since accounts of Fort-weaving is not included in written research resources, this issue add to the difficulty of the study, however, the how of weaving, maps designs, a detailed description of Fort-weaving machine is based on pictures, photographs taken, as well as its relation to literature and local songs-by rural women- and its effect on the economy of rural families and difficulties and harmful elements on this art, accompanied by suggestions for the permanence of Fort-weaving discussed and studied.