Traditional Shoe Makers

We saw two traditional shoe makers during our time in Iran. The fellow shown above has a shop and workroom in a balcony over the Public Laundry Museum in Zanjan. You can see sample of his shoes hanging from the ceiling behind him. He was much more interested in showing us a copy of the dissertation a woman had written about him than he was in showing us his shoes.

The second fellow had a shop in the market in Esfahan, close to Jameh Mosque. A pair of his shoes, made in the traditional manner with traditional materials, would cost about $50. I like the way the toes turn up at the ends. Why would they turn up, I wonder?