In a shop near Eman Khomeini Square in Isfahan, Hassan Chitsazzadeh displays a finished piece of cloth, while Amir Assdi uses a carved wooden block to print a design on another. These pieces of fabric are purchased not only by tourists, like me, but also by the locals who use them as table clothes, curtains and blankets. But before the fabrics ever make it to market, Chitsazzadeh explained, they go through a long, if not complicated process. First the fabric must be cut to size, tasseled and then washed in the waters of the nearby Zayande River. It is also boiled to fix the printing before its return to the shop for a second round of printing. This time in color. After applying the colors, some of which are made from regional fruits such as the pomegranate, the cloth is sent back to the Zayande for its final washing and boiling.