Local products in Abyaneh(Viuna)

Avoid drinking tap water if you are allergic. Buy water bottle instead called for (Abe Maadani). Everything that is sold in the local shops and set up tables on the streets and squares is not made or manufactured in Abyaneh except for dried fruits and home-made juice in various kinds of plastic bottles (non-standard and unhygienic) and the famous non-braided multi-colored veil cloth or shirt that is typical for women in Abyaneh. Colored beads, necklaces, bracelets and colored stones are imported from outside.

All these veils that hang on the wall are imported goods that are never used as the traditional clothing style for girls and women in Abyaneh. Abyaneh's veil is a square, colourful floral fabric without hanging curtain-like tassels. The mosses below the table are also imported goods. The women of Abyaneh never wear a hat not even in winter. Earlier, when a woman married for the first time at a lavish wedding, the grooms helped the bride with handmade, well-decorated hat, pickled silver jewellery with gold-coloured threads. Today, such a hat, if found, would cost a few hundred dollars if not more. It's good to be aware! Image source: Screenshot April 2023

You will not bring any type of gifts from Abyaneh when you leave Abyaneh. The older generations who were active in Abyaneh and made handicrafts, silver jewellery are long gone. Their descendants instead chose to study, educate themselves at high levels in Iran and abroad. It is no wonder that there are only two hundred elderly people living in the village, and no youth can be seen in the distance.

None of these products are from Abyaneh. The sellers come from different parts of the area, remote villages, different cities. The sellers see Abyaneh as a great opportunity to sell their own goods. Abyaneh's greenery is barely enough for its own needs, and the opportunity to grow greens and fruits is minimal as there is not enough water to irrigate small and medium-sized farms. Abyaneh has also suffered from drought and lack of water. 

Products that you see in the image above are imported from surrounding villages and large farmlands. Abyaneh does not have the capacity to produce these fruits. Products that you see in plastic bags in the image below are local products from Abyaneh. Image source: Screenshot April 2023

Common local products

The produce of Abyaneh is chiefly fruit. These local dried fruits seen on a woven tray/baskets in plastic bags are apricot, sliced apple and various varieties of plum. The fruits are collected by women from nearby farms. Traditionally, the fruits are not washed. The apricot is split in half, the core is removed and placed on the tray. The apples are peeled, cut into thin slices, the cores are separated and the slices are placed on woven trays. The plums are peeled by hand, the core is left on, the peeled plums are placed on trays to be dried under the heat of the sun in an open environment on the roofs. When the fruits are dried in this way, they are also greeted by houseflies, as well as possibly dust in the air. Dried fruits end up in plastic bags, some for own use, the rest is sold on the local market mostly to domestic tourists. The fruit trees are sprayed with chemicals in two rounds, at the beginning of spring and in the fall.

Image source: @kohanviuna

Hygienic aspects:

Information on the contents of the plastic bags is completely missing. Hygienic aspects are also not apparent. Can there be traces of chemicals left even when the fruits are peeled and dried. Scientific evidence regarding spraying of fruit trees is lacking. Great caution is recommended when purchasing these products, especially for children with allergic reactions.