Pottery in Kalporagan village in Iran
Pottery has a high status in the history of Iranian art, because the nature of pottery is not perishable and remains well over time. This feature makes the range of developments in this art well recognizable. The developments of historical pottery have transferred their experiences to contemporary Iranian pottery and can now be seen in two forms, traditional and new pottery. Traditional Iranian pottery continues to live in different regions as pottery of the region, among which Kalpurgan, due to its ecological and cultural characteristics, offers a completely different type of pottery from other regions. Kalpurgan village is located in the southeast of Sistan and Baluchestan province and is one of the functions of Saravan city and borders Pakistan.
According to a tradition, pottery in Kalpurgan village of Saravan city of Balochistan is nearly 5 thousand years old. Being, it has found an identity function for the Baloch people, especially the village of Kalpurgan. However, in other surviving pottery areas of Sistan and Baluchestan province, such as the village of Kuhmitag in Sarbaz and the village of Holnchakan in Qasr Ghand, there are many similarities to the pottery of Kalpurgan. In terms of production, Kalpurgan pottery is not booming. Kalpurgan potters create unique works using simple and geometric patterns inspired by their beliefs, as well as the nature of Balochistan. Features such as simple and practical forms, non-use of glaze, use of local raw materials and basic designs, but with thought-provoking concepts, add to the capabilities of this active pottery center in the southeast of the country.
Pottery making in Kalpurgan is done by the capable hands and creative minds of the women of the Dehwari tribe, who work in the form of a cooperative company at the Kalpurgan Pottery Museum. In Kalpurgan, pottery is called “Kapal” and potters are called “Kapal Kashan”. Kalpurgan artists associate prehistoric pottery with contemporary Iranian pottery. Therefore, the pottery of this region is very similar to the prehistoric pottery, especially the pottery of the third millennium BC, which was obtained from excavations in different parts of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Although it is not possible to give an exact historical date for the beginning of pottery in Kalpurgan village, apparently pottery in Kalpurgan is as old as the history of the origin and formation of this village, because pottery has always been formed in response to the basic needs of human societies. It is not a Balochistan region; Perhaps in other ancient sites of Iran, the presence of numerous pottery indicates that it was one of the most widely used human artifacts and the most basic of these pottery. What seems to be important is the prosperity of pottery in a part of the land of Balochistan, in a special way of primitive societies. However, pottery may have flourished in one period with the migration of people from another region to Kalpurgan. In order to meet their needs, the early residents of this village have started pottery in Kalpurgan with easy access to high quality raw materials and familiarity with manufacturing techniques. However, pottery in the village of Kalpurgan Saravan is valuable as one of the few surviving pottery survivors in the former Balochistan region.
