Iran Female and Male Door Knockers

I have had the wonderful and unique opportunity to visit Iran twice - the first time in 1996 and the second time in 2009.  I met a lot of my husband's family and relatives and remain in contact with several of them. On our last visit we brought along three American friends and traveled all over the country. One of my favorite cities was Yazd. While there we took a lot of photos - especially the doors. That may seem strange, but every one is more interesting than the next. But what I found peculiar but also useful in a climate such as this, was that each door has a knocker for a man visitor and a knocker for a female visitor. It's not hard to figure out which one is which. Apparently the inhabitants like to know who is at the door before it is opened for a variety of reasons. They must certainly have the sound down to distinguish each. But the whole thing is so artistic! So I collected my favorite door photos and stuck them in side by side frames. It is a conversation piece.