manouchehri house kashan Gender knockers (Old door - Kashan)

Old Persian domestic doors were able to unveil the gender of the

person knocking on them.

By simple means of two different knockers (kūba), the dweller could

guess who was standing at the other side of the wall. The one to be

used by male visitors produced a heavier sound than the one for female

guests. Their shape also was related to correspondent genital forms:

flowing curves vs. a simple straight shaft. Dating back to the Qajar

and Pahlavi Periods, this system determined who from the household was

able to open the door: the man of the family or the housewife.

The function of a door’s threshold is to provide access as well as to

keep a dwelling safe. This obsolete piece of Iranian Gender

Architecture did not focus on the intentions of the visitor (if he was

a friend, a thief, a vendor or a wolf in sheep’s clothing); but rather

on safety understood from religious culture, and aiming to avoid mixed

encounters.

Thanks for comments.

A technically good picture with an interesting story. cheers, Hans