Giveh: Iranian summer footwear
Just in time for summer, I've bought myself a pair of giveh, the ideal shoes for the long, hard Tehran summer. Giveh have been made for centuries in many parts of Iran but are most famously from Western Iran, particularly a town called Paveh in Kermanshah Province.
The upper is made of strong tightly woven cotton sewn tight to (on my pair) a leather sole. The soles of traditional are made of tightly compacted layers of cotton material stacked from toe to heel. These are less practical since they can lose their shape if wet.
Giveh are, however, very much dry weather footwear. Made almost entirely from cotton, there's no need to wear socks and feet breath easily. In fact, in the town where my giveh were made they are referred to as jurab (socks) rather than kafsh (shoes).
