All about the types of wood in Khatam
In the field of Khatam art, wood has a pivotal and fundamental role, and basically Khatam art can be called wood art. The use of this substance varies depending on its type, color, hardness and softness. This difference in application can be examined in two main parts:
A) Wood used for substructure or inlay work.
B) Woods used in inlaid text for decoration.
Ebony wood – the scientific name of the ebony tree is “aburnum”. Its main habitat was mainly the coast of Guinea in Africa, especially from the land of Gata Tagabon.
One of the prominent features of this wood is its black and charcoal color. The specific gravity of ebony wood is so high that it sinks into the water. The high density of this wood is due to the high density of its constituent tissues, and this feature of ebony wood has made it very difficult to eat its tools. Unlike the hard shear feature, this wood is easily smoothed and polished. Its adhesion, polishing and varnishing ability is also very high. The ebony wood is almost one-handed and has no role, and has relatively good resistance to moisture and insects.
This wood is used more than any other part of Khatam’s works in different borders and creating margins and barriers between the patterns. The production of various triangles, especially the equilateral triangles of al-Saqin, has long been common among Khatam-e-Saz artists. Currently, ebony wood is not used in Khatam’s art, and the need for this wood in the best kind of work is met by using foil wood.
Maple wood – the scientific name of the maple tree is “Acer” and has different species. Although different species of maple trees are scattered around the world, the main habitat of this tree is North America. The wood obtained from most maple species, while having acceptable hardness, has good flexibility. This wood is one of the relatively light woods and the non-compression of its textures has made it easy to work on it. Maple wood is white with brown streaks.
The use of this wood in the preparation of infrastructures and colored triangles is more visible than other parts of the inlay. Maple wood is also used to make photo molds and relatively large boxes.
Fofel wood: The scientific name of this tree is “Areca”. Fofel tree is one of the trees that grows well in hot and humid areas. The mainland of this tree can be considered the Indian subcontinent.
A distinctive feature of this tree is its pungent odor. Fofel wood is a brown part of the central part of the trunk that is burnt brown, and on the outside is a yellow layer that is not commonly used. The high density and compaction of the tissues that make up the Fofel tree has made the wood of this tree one of the hardest woods to be used in inlay work. Despite its high hardness and strength, the Fofel tree is a good tool for eating because of the high fat content in its texture.
It is possible and practical to use this wood by relying on its color anywhere in Khatam, depending on Khatamkar’s taste and creativity.
Walnut wood: The scientific name of this tree is “Juglans”. Walnut trees are found in most parts of the world due to their adaptation to specific climatic conditions.
Among other features of walnut wood, its ability to be eaten, its paintability and good polishing, along with its inherent strength and durability. The wood’s resistance to moisture and insects is moderate and its adhesiveness is good.
Due to the high characteristics of walnut wood, it has various uses in making the components and body of Khatam’s works. However, the use of this wood in the body or infrastructure of work can be seen from other parts of Khatam. For making large molds and boxes, the use of walnut wood is a priority. Due to its suitable paintability, this wood can be used instead of foil wood.
Jujube stick: The scientific name of the jujube tree is “Rahamnaceae”. The jujube tree grows in most parts of the world. There is a special species of this tree with the scientific name “Zizyphus vul” in the northern forests, especially in the highlands of Gorgan.
Among the prominent features of jujube tree wood is its high strength and high specific gravity. That’s why this wood has the property of being a hard tool and difficult to work with.
The color of jujube wood in its middle and central part is reddish brown and its outer layer is surrounded by a yellow coating. The redness of jujube wood color varies depending on its location.
The natural beauty and cheerful color of this wood, along with its strength and durability, has led Khatam-e-Saz artists to use this wood for several purposes, for example, this wood is mostly used in the preparation of triangles, ova and decisives.
Baqam, Qaqam, Qamish wood: Species of this tree grow in parts of the Americas, the main habitat of the Baqam tree, the land of India. The scientific name of this tree is Campechidnum Hematoxylon.
The wood of the beech tree is hard, durable and at the same time good tool. One of the prominent features of this wood is the fawn color of its middle and central part, which is covered with a thin layer of yellow.
After the beech wood became scarce and before the various woods were chemically dyed, inlaid artists used jujube or apricot wood instead of beech wood. The color of these woods changes from light brown to yellow after drying.
The beautiful color of this wood made it one of the most important decorative elements in Khatam’s text, and Khatam-e-Saz artists used this wood to make their designs more visible. This wood is specifically used in the production of inlaid triangles.
Orange wood: The common name of this tree is “Citrusaurantium”. The orange tree is found in most parts of the world.
Orange wood is one of the soft and versatile woods that has good flexibility. The predominant color in orange wood is cream or yellowish white, and it has good colorability, which is why it is used to make colored wood, especially orange, red, and green.
Orange wood is one of the most complementary and substitute elements in Khatam due to its suitable color and polishing. This wood is sometimes used in the construction of various triangles.
Boxwood: The scientific name of this tree is “Buxus Semperviros” and it is an industrial tree with various uses.
There are varieties of boxwood in almost every part of the world. The main habitat of such forests in northern Iran is from Astara to the middle of Gorgan Valley, especially in low-lying areas and close to the Caspian Sea coast.
The wood from the boxwood tree is hard and heavy and has dense and uniform fibrous textures. The color of the wood inside the boxwood is light yellow and sometimes white without a pattern. This wood is difficult to crack because it has a compact and dense texture; But after drying, it is a good tool and can be easily worked with. The use of boxwood wood in the construction of narrow triangular triangles instead of kikum wood has been common.
Plum wood: The scientific name of this tree is “Prunus” and it varies according to the climatic conditions in different parts of the world. The wood of the plum tree is heavy and durable, it has parallel fibers, and the density and compaction of its tissues causes the relative strength of this wood. The wood inside the plum tree is light brown and the outer layer is sometimes white.
Plum wood is mostly used to make inlays in small and decorative artifacts. If needed, colored woods, especially red, are painted with plum wood.
Pear wood: The scientific name of the pear tree is “Piruscordata”. Species of pear trees are found all over the world. In Iran, this tree grows in northern areas from Astara to Gorgan and in western parts, especially Kurdistan and central areas such as Lorestan, pear wood has a smooth and uniform texture and is relatively heavy. This wood is soft and flexible because its texture is not compact and dense.
The predominant color in pear wood is white and the colorability and polish of this wood is suitable and it has acceptable strength.
In addition to using pear wood in different parts of Khatam, this wood is mostly used in the production of colorful triangles, especially blue triangles, or creating geometric margins, due to its white and beautiful color.
Tusca wood or alder: The scientific name of this tree is “Alnus” and its main habitat is in the northern hemisphere. Tosa tree without knot, without pattern, has a relatively good strength. The color of the wood inside the alder is white when cut, but gradually, as a result of the oxidation process, the color turns red.
The relative strength of alder wood has led most artisans to use it to build their work. Small frames and boxes are usually made of this wood, but in principle, alder wood can be the best wood for substructure in inlay.
Pine wood: The scientific name of this tree is “Pinus”. The diversity of pine trees and the suitable adaptation of its species to different climatic conditions have led to the expansion of its habitats in the world. The compact and dense texture of pine wood has given it considerable hardness. Pine wood is often dark white in color and is difficult to work with.
Due to its durability and relatively good pine resistance, it is used for Khatam’s infrastructure. The wood of this tree, like the Tusca wood, is used to make objects such as boxes and small frames.
Sepidar, Tabrizi or Kaboud wood: Its scientific name is “Populus ablba” and it is one of the broad-leaved and tall trees. The poplar tree is scattered almost all over the world due to its adaptation to various habitats. The poplar tree has a dense texture that makes it soft and so-called woody. Sepidar wood has good flexibility and shows good tooling. The outer wood of this tree is white and the middle wood is light brown or light yellow. This wood has good color and polish, but its resistance to moisture and insects is low. The main application of poplar wood is in the preparation of esters for inlaid cuts.
