TEHRAN – Armardeh, a small city in Baneh county, western province of Kordestan, is planned to be named as the national city of handicrafts, a provincial tourism official has said.

Being recognized as a hub for handicrafts gives craftspeople the opportunity of promoting their works as well as help tourism develop in the region, Baneh’s cultural heritage department director Sadollah Rahimikhah said on Monday, CHTN reported. 

He also noted that being a national city of handicrafts can play an important and significant role in the growth and development of the city, and the city’s cultural and natural potentials can be recognized more properly. 

Shawlbafi (knitting shawls) is considered as Armardeh’s main handicrafts product. Shawl is a type of hand-made men’s clothing that has been popular among Kurdish people since ancient times, and is made of a type of goat’s wool. Women are the main producers of shawls.

Various Iranian cities and villages have been named as national hubs of handicrafts. 

Zanjan for filigree, Kashan for traditional textile, Iranshahr for needlework, Abadeh for wood carving as well as the village of Fash for crafting indigenous musical instruments are among them.

ABU/MG