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The ceramic glazes which serve as protective crust on earthen objects are produced by special methods using mineral substances. As recorded in history the ancient ceramic-glaze manufacturing technics in Iran was different from that of other countries and these cpecial technics have been inherited from their ancestors.
The main aim of this research work is to recognize glaze-making procedures in Iran especially in Isfahan region-, where it has been one of the most important centers in ceramics. Another goal is the comparison of modern and ancient glazes with respect to, colour and durability yielding in a superiority of ancient glazes. Unfortunately only a few selected glazes. were studied, because the. analyses are time-consu ming and laborious. The samples were obtained from an old ceramic factory in Isfahan which still uses ancient preparation methods. The glazes were analyzed by means of wet-chemistry as well as by X-ray diffraction to determine their mineral compositions. Finally the results were compared with that of foreign glazes. We hope that these studies though not yet complete will help this industry to regain its past importance.