Typology of Zomoudgari Works Installed on the Entrance Doors of Qajar Buildings in Kashan

Zomoudgari is considered one of the prominent arts in the history of Iranian arts. It refers to all kinds of metal connections made on traditional and old doors and windows. These metal extensions have their own uses. In addition to an aesthetic value, these metal extensions reflect unique visual and symbolic elements. The city of Kashan during the Qajar era was known as one of the most prominent centers of Zomoudgari in Iran. The excellent quality of Qajarid Zomudgari works in Kashan and the lack of sufficient studies to identify and study their qualitative characteristics have justified this study and its aim at analyzing the practical and visual features of a selection of the most prominent Zomudgari works manifested in the entrance doors of Qajar historical buildings in Kashan. Following the expansion of tourism industry and the necessity of reviving historical textures as well as the restoration of old buildings, as the legacy of Iranian home culture, it seems necessary to take a step, even if a small one, in the direction of preserving and reviving less-known handicraft arts such as Zomoudgari. What has been studied in this research includes the works of Zomudgari belonging to doors of Qajarid buildings in Kashan such as those of residential houses, timchehs, and serahs, mosques and baths. The general results indicated that in the Qajar period, the fittings installed on the doors of buildings in Kashan were made of steel, brass, and copper. Also, a variety of forms is mostly seen in the sequins under the drums, the sequins under the studs, and the sequins on the nose; but in the meantime, there is a difference in the overall form of male and female drums.