Trippy Tehran, part two.

These stairs are painted with Esfand Bafi, a charm common in Iran to protect from the evil eye, similar to nazar.

Esfand bafi refers to the dried seeds hanging from the charms. Esfand is commonly burned in Iran as a holy incense for protection.

The Esfand Bafi that hangs in my home for comparison.

Iran's Esfand Bafi looks startlingly similar to Huichol "Ojos de Dios" charms in Mexico, used for protection as well.

I think this is an example of textile technique being discovered in different places but leading to very similar results- and even fostering similar beliefs.

Another example of shared technique in very different places on Earth is ikat.

Known as abr-bandi in Persian, this fabric dying technique is widespread in Central Asia (and India and Southeast Asia).

But you'll also find ikat in Central America, as it is a common technique in Mayan traditional clothing (now adapted to other uses as well).

Again, a technique used in textiles that was discovered independently in two different places- but with somewhat similar results.

Back to the stairs at the beginning of the thread. In case you're wondering what Trippy Tehran, Part 1 was - find it here! https://twitter.com/seyyedreza/status/1246844452293021698