This photo taken on Oct. 10, 2023 shows a view of a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.
The exhibition featuring traditions and capabilities of nomads and other minority groups concluded last week in Imam Khomeini's Mosalla in Tehran, where more than 1,000 nomadic tents were put up to dazzle visitors with a variety of distinctive products.
Sitting in his tent that showcased colorful handmade bags and rugs, Beitollah Karimi, a 45-year-old man who runs a nomads' cooperative in the northern Iranian province of Gilan, told Xinhua that he lived a nomadic life with all its difficulties and joys in his childhood.
"I come from a 14-member family ... we lived in the highland pastures during summers and moved to winter places in the cold seasons, far from urban areas and facilities such as electricity, potable water, and gas pipelines," Karimi introduced.
He said that while the nomadic life was difficult as it involved constant seasonal migrations, it had bright sides, including providing a sense of happiness, the tranquility of nature, and organic food, which made all the hardship worthwhile.
"We lived each day to the fullest ... and we were very happy," said Karimi.
Nomadic tribes, once prominent in Persian history, have seen their population dwindle to around one million due to a combination of reasons, including persistent droughts, dust storms, widespread urbanization, mobile internet, and the spread of higher education, according to National Geographic.
Only a small percentage of the Iranian nomads still live in tents set up in plains, as the tribes, which used to make a living on livestock agriculture and handicrafts, now seek to diversify their sources of income.
Karimi said he set up the cooperative to help his fellow nomads, including women, sell their products, such as woolen clothes, at value-based good prices.
He said his dream is to establish a very "big workshop" in the form of cooperatives and begin mass production of nomadic handicrafts so as to create jobs for nomads, help them generate income, and keep the nomadic lifestyle and traditions alive.
Like Karimi, 65-year-old Sohrab Molaei also participated in the event to promote his organic foodstuff, including meat and dairy products.
He came from the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and still lives a partially nomadic life. Molaei said that despite hardships, the beautiful environment where he lives makes the nomadic lifestyle rewarding.
Floria Morovati, a 52-year-old self-made entrepreneur from Dalahu County in Kermanshah province, had renovated her father's house into an eco-lodge to accommodate tourists and offer them an experience of the nomadic lifestyle.
"My dream is to help my county and its people to be better seen and known, in a way that does not harm the ecosystem and environment, and to promote their traditions and rites to the world for more aid in preservation."
Voicing concerns over urban lifestyles encroaching on the grazing lands and a significant drop in nomadic population, Morovati calls for preserving old nomadic culture and traditions as "nature is priceless, and the calm is comparable to nothing." ■
People visit a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10, 2023. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
A woman shows a product during a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10, 2023. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
This photo taken on Oct. 10, 2023 shows handicrafts during a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
People visit a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10, 2023. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
A woman prepares specialty food during a traditional cultural event in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10, 2023. The Iranian nomads recently traveled hundreds of kilometers to the capital Tehran to showcase their products, capabilities, and lifestyles at a seven-day traditional cultural event.(Xinhua/Shadati)
