Door Locks in Persia

Abstract

nomic problems of his country, there was a growing demand for engineers, technicians, and skilled workers. It did not take long to find out that our students at the technical college were not the sons of peasants with no industrial background but came essentially from the middleclass families of the bazaar craftsmen: the goldsmith, the coppersmith, the carpenter, the weaver, and other members of these highly respected groups. When the government later requested that the new college should not only prepare for the modern industrial vocations but also provide instruction in the old crafts, I decided to record whatever of these older crafts was still in existence, a task which kept me busy for five years of my spare time. The result showed that Persia had a complex system of crafts with widespread division of labor, highly interesting working methods, machinery and tools, and magnificent products which show accumulated skill and a long industrial tradition. The recording of thousands of technical terms showed that the craftsman preserved his professional language, which differs significantly from the literary language of today. Subsequent studies on the development of the industrial arts of Persia revealed that the existence of highly developed industries is not just a coincidence but the outcome of over 3,000 years of history, with many incidents interesting to the historian of technology and science.