It was enough that before technology a European woman was required to spin and weave the family sheets, tablecloths, napkins and undergarments but nothing can beat the Iranian woman who spun goat hair and made thick fibers that were then woven into tents they called home. The nomadic lifestyle was not an easy one but thanks to these women, their families were sheltered from the heat and cold of the desert through their spinning and weaving. I have not witnessed the Bedouin tribes of Iran but I would not be surprised if many a nomadic Iranian woman still proudly "builds" the home.

Suellen Ocean is the author of The Celtic Prince and The Lies of the Lion available at Amazon, B&N and Ocean-Hose.