Documentation of intergenerational transmission in Zoroastrian women's silk weaving

Zoroastrian women's silk weaving has all the characteristics of intangible cultural heritage; because it is both traditional, contemporary and alive at the same time, which has been continued through inter generational-transmission.

For this reason, this project complements Iran's global registration under the title ""Sericulture and traditional production of silk for weaving "" by UNESCO in 2022.Chinese silk was imported to Iran through the Silk Road in the Sassanid era, and it led to the establishment of silk textile workshops to supply silk textiles inside and outside of Iran.The official religion during the Sassanid era was Zoroastrianism, but from the beginning of Arab Muslim rule until today, few Zoroastrians have remained.

The non-alphabetic language of Zoroastrians is called Dari-Behdini and half of the speakers are Zoroastrian women, who played the role of bearers and preservers of intangible heritage, oral literature and traditions related to silk textiles from the Sassanid era to the contemporary period and localized the heritage of Chinese silk using the positive aspect of Cultural appropriateness and founded a new form of it.The silk textiles of Zoroastrian women are important from social, cultural and religious aspects:1-The producers and consumers of silk textiles are only women and women have spread and taught it through inter generational-transmission until today.

Women have not only been highly successful in retaining and transmitting traditional methods and practices, but also in adapting them in innovative ways with high levels of technical competency. 2-Although silk is a non-native product that came to Iran from another culture, Zoroastrian women turned silk textile products into their cultural capitals and used it as a symbol of cultural identity. 3-Although silk dyeing and using it is associated with obstacles based on the importance of purity in Zoroastrian religion, but until now, it is used as the only type of Traditional clothes.