The Safavid era was one of golden periods for inlay art in Iran. The mausoleum of Sheikh Safiedin Ardabili is also embellished with fine inlays. Even after the overthrow of the Safavid dynasty by Karim Khan Zand, who founded the Zandiyeh dynasty, inlay art survived. An Iranian inlay artist embellished a number of arabesque patterns, such as a two-headed snake, two pheasants and foliage designs, on a table that was presented to foreigners. Inlay Styles Raw materials needed for inlay work are three-ply wood, bronze wire, bronze plate, camel bone and an assortment of woods, such as jujube, walnut, box tree and olive.
Craftsmen also use cold and hot glue, formalin and varnish to improve their job.
The first step in the work requires cutting the metal wires, and the wood and bone pieces into isosceles and equilateral triangles, and then dyeing the pieces. To prepare the camel bone, the artist dips it in limewater. Then, he chops extra parts off the wet bone, cutting the remainder into 30 millimeter-wide pieces. After-wards, he cuts the bones into triangles two to three millimeters long. A similar approach is applied to wooden and metal triangles.