TEHRAN – Private investors will be establishing a plaza dedicated to engraved furniture in Malayer, named as a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture by the World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR).

Located in Hamedan province, the ancient city is home to over 4,000 furniture workshops, 8,000 wood masters, and some 25,000 crafters.

“Covering an area of 74,000 square meters, the permanent marketplace will be the country’s biggest bazaar dedicated to carved furniture,” the deputy provincial tourism chief said on Sunday.

Having 116 exhibition units, this bazaar will be set up on nine floors by the private sector, the official said.

“A significant feature of the project is specialized halls for laboratories, conferences, conferences, traditional dining halls, and office sites, independent parking on one floor, green spaces, and a prayer hall.”

Artists and crafters of this region use the wood of beech, walnut, and plane trees to make different products such as traditional, classic, steel, and sofa furniture. Their other products are dining tables, desks, all kinds of chairs, beds, and decorative pieces.

In some cases, the whole family is occupied with traditional furniture making and although they didn't make much money this way, their love for handicrafts and the increasing perseverance of woodcarving artists of Malayer shows today a new face of this art-craft to the world.

Currently, some 60 percent of the furniture and woodcarving products in Iran are reportedly produced in Malayer and they are sent to various Iranian cities or being exported to Central Asian countries, Persian Gulf littoral states, Turkey, and Iraq amongst some others.

Known in classical times as Ecbatana, Hamedan was one of the ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city center are given over to excavations, and there’s a scattering of historical curiosities.

AFM