Stone, from caves and engravings on it to historical monuments and written tablets, has had a meaningful presence in human life and has been responsible for showing a little bit of identity, culture and art of every period of history.
Iran has many mines and in terms of total mineral reserves, it is the second country in the world. Identifying all the country's mineral reserves, it can be said that Iran's stone is much more abundant than oil. In general, Iran's mines can be divided into 4 sections of ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, industrial soils and construction stones.
There are many stone mines in Iran which are scattered all over the country in a way that almost 21 out of Iran's 31 provinces have stone mines, some of which are unique in quality and color in the world. The provinces of Isfahan, East Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Yazd and Markazi are the most important provinces with stone mines. The remarkable point about Iran's stone mines is the diversity that there are mines of all 4 types of stones (marble, marble, travertine, granite) in Iran. However, some mines are facing problems in extraction and transportation due to the distance from cities , railways and power plants.
Distribution map of provinces with stone mines in Iran
Approximately 25% of the country's mines are building stone mines from which share of marble stone (crystal, porcelain, cloudy) is 69%, 20% is granite, 10% is travertine, and only 1% is marble.
Marble Stone
Most of Iran's mines and extracted stones are marble which is a type of limestone which shows beauty, strength and resistance to fire, but it has moisture absorption. Persians and Greeks often has been using this type of stone to make statues Color range of marble stone available in Iran are white, black, red, gray, brown and green.
Granite
Granite is an igneous stone which, in fact, is the same stone that we know in the literature as Khara stone known for its high resistance and strength. Therefore, the exploitation of these mines requires investment and proper equipment due to the rock’s extreme hardness. Due to its high density and strength, it is suitable for exterior facades , landscaping , pavements and flooring for urban areas and spaces.
Travertine stone
Iran’s travertine is one of the best types of travertine. The travertines in Iran are available in white, red and yellow colors, and the largest reserve of Iran's white travertine located in Mahalat, and its largest mine is in Atashkoh. Red travertine, which is very low in amount, is found in Azerbaijan, and yellow travertine is available in Isfahan and Mahalat
Onyx
onyx is one of the oldest stones that mankind has been able to extract. This stone belongs to limestone category and is available in white and green colors ; it is so clear and pure that it is able to transmit light. Due to its color, transparency and Innovative designs, it is one of the most expensive building stones in the world. The best onyx mines are located in Italy and Iran
Having eleven stone mines, Stoneman has gathered a unique variety of Iranian stones with suitable quality in different colors and designs in its showroom. It covers the stone production process from stone extraction to final supply, so it can be said: Stoneman is the narrator of the full stone production cycle.
Stoneman Quarries (mines)