Buta (ornament)

The boteh (Persian: بته), is an almond or pine cone-shaped motif in ornament with a sharp-curved upper end.^[1] Though of Persian origin, it is very common and called buta in India, Azerbaijan, Turkey and other countries of the Near East.^[1] Via Kashmir shawls it spread to Europe at least in 19th century, where patterns using it are known since 1960s as paisleys, as Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland was a major centre imitating them.

In Asian ornament, the boteh motifs are typically placed in orderly rows, though especially in India they may appear in a pattern in a variety of sizes, colours, and orientations, which is also characteristic of European paisley patterns.

Some design scholars^[who?] believe the boteh is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity.^[2] The "bent" cedar is also a sign of strength and resistance but modesty. The floral motif originated in the Sassanid dynasty and was used later in the Safavid dynasty, and was a major textile pattern in Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties. In these periods, the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population.^{[citation needed]} Persian and Central Asian designs usually range the motifs in orderly rows, with a plain background.