According to the International Stone Exhibition of Iran, these artifacts have been found in ancient caves in the areas of Shahrekord, Ardal and Lordegan and have been studied for about ten to eleven thousand years.

Broadlevies (mass graveyards), stone steps, stone carvings, stone lions, and stone caravans are among the ancient artifacts of the Late Era and Sassanid times, and are now considered tourist attractions for the province.

Paving stone from native handicrafts of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari

Deputy Director of Development and Trade Promotion of Crafts and Traditional Arts Deputy Directorate General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Crafts of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari said: Stone masonry and stone carving is one of the indigenous fields of the province whose history goes back centuries.

The Turkish Jahanbakhsh has always emphasized: This art of industry was made in ancient times in all the artifacts and tools needed, including grinding stones, flour, grooves, mortar, stone lions and so on.

He added: "Unfortunately, due to various reasons, most of the stone artifacts have not been widely used by the people and have only been used and consumed only in nomadic areas and remote villages.

Turki made it clear: The major center of carving and stone-cutting was in the cities of Shahrekord, Hafshjan, and Farsan, where most craftsmen now produce limited-edition stone artifacts including mortar, stone lions, gutters, flour, and tombstones.

He described stone lions as one of the most important and popular handicrafts in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari stone carving and lithography sector and noted: Lions are a symbol of courage and valor.

An expert in development and commercial development at the Department of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts, Directorate General for Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari said: "Whenever a large region (especially in Bakhtiari regions) dies, it is because of its location and its sting. And the horse, and if it had a religious and scientific personality, alongside the lioness were adorned with the words "La Allahaha" and "Mohammed Rasoolullah", which still exist in the tribal and rural areas.

He said: The stone lions used in making and cutting the native stones known as "Bezler" are used.

Turk always emphasized: "Bezler" stone is found around Hafsanjan and is shipped to the workshops without any payment.

The lion is a symbol of Bakhtiari men's bravery and courage, according to IRNA.

The stone lions are an inheritance in the cemeteries of Farsan, Koohrang, Ardal and Kiar, which have remained among the Bakhtiari since the Qajar era.

The stone lion is a symbol of the courage and bravery of Ilkhan, the warriors, the riders, the Khanin, the sheriffs, the kings and the elders of the Bakhtiari tribes.

For this reason, one of these stone lions died by local masonry and was installed on the graves of these elders and carved on the lion's body shapes such as swords, guns and horses along with the characteristics of the deceased.

In fact, the stone lions on the graves of warriors and war dead are reminiscent of men who ornamented their nation's high and low history in a mythical form in their own name and buried in the soil.

He added: The stone and stone tooling is the traditional tool used centuries ago.

The expert for development and commercial development of the department of handicrafts and traditional arts of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Crafts of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari pointed out: types of sledgehammer, heavy and semi-heavy hammers, steel brushes with diamond edges that can be made by hand.

He pointed out the low consumption of stone handicrafts in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari: Due to the lack of public use of stone products in the region, the production of this type of artifacts is limited to ordering in a small number of rural and tribal areas.

Turki said everything about how to produce stone artifacts in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari: After transporting the required stone to the workshops, the initial shape and its anatomy are first designed and then completed with shapes and limbs.

He said most of the designs and shapes in stone masonry and stone volumes are geometric and abstract.

Stone crafts are not the people's priority

One of Hafshjan's stone and carving artists also said that stone and carving in crafts is no longer a priority for people.

Ali Asghar Bagheri Hafshjani emphasized: Due to the recent high prices and reduced purchasing power of the people, unfortunately the order of stone handicrafts has declined.

Hefshjan stone-throwers offer the same price as their previous years, but their sales are still lower than half.

Bagheri Hafshajani stated that, of course, the cost of producing stone and stone artifacts has increased this year compared to last year, and the sale price has remained stable only by reducing the profit margins of the manufacturers.

He noted: Among all types of stone and carvings, there are now lions, mortars, tombstones and flour mills.

According to IRNA, the stone-carving and carving of Hafsjan is seven hundred years old.

The Bagheri family is one of the most famous stone carvers of Hafshjan, who have over seven hundred years of experience in the field.

One of the rituals in the culture of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari people, especially the Bakhtiari, was the placing of the lion on the tomb of the lasting, prominent, great figures of the tribe.

Birdshire is a symbol of courage, bravery, fieldwork and outstanding qualities such as hunting, shooting, fighting and individual riding.

 The oldest stone lion found in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, the lion "Abdul Hamid bin Ibrahim Hafshajani" in the year 1300 (four hundred and thirty-five years ago) dates from the Safavid period, and there are certainly older Islamic examples.

The antiquity and beauty of the tombstones and stone lions in Hafshjan cemetery led to this cemetery being listed as the oldest graves number five thousand nine hundred and ninety in nine years in the list of national monuments of Iran.

The Hafsanjani stone-carvers work on monuments, especially castles, bridges, and public places such as baths and mosques in the form of stone fields, slabs, and pastes, remains solid.

The types of carvings in Hafshjan are divided into stone carving, stone carving, volumetry, stone engraving, prominent and semi-prominent.

To get and buy stone lions in different molds and other stone volumes you can go to Hafshjan Stone Market in Shahid Chamran Street (Stone Crusher).

Hafshajan is located eight kilometers from Shahrekord, the capital of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province.

* IRNA