TEHRAN – A one-day handicrafts exhibition was set up in the centuries-old Arg-e Karim Khan in Shiraz, southern Fars province, on Friday, a local tourism official has said. 

Several handicrafts workshops were organized on the sidelines of the exhibit, which aimed to mark Shiraz Week, Majid Salimi explained on Saturday. 

The exhibition also provided opportunities for the selling and offering of handmade products of the local artisans and craftsmen, the official added. 

The Arg-e Karim Khan is an immense brick fortress that has dominated the southern city of Shiraz since the 18th century. Part of a historical complex, the Arg is named after the founder of the Zand Dynasty Mohammad Karim Khan Zand who ruled Iran from 1751 to 1779 and selected Shiraz as his capital. 

The massive walls of the citadel feature ornamental brickwork designs in particular on the four circular tower-like structures punctuating each of its corners. Walking inside, one encounters a typical design of the Persian garden that interweaves different fields of knowledge such as water management and engineering, architecture, botany, and agriculture.

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture for over 2000 years, Shiraz has become synonymous with education, nightingales, poetry, and crafts skills passed down from generation to generation. It was one of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794.

Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking into this provincial capital.

Eram Garden, Afif-Abad Garden, Tomb of Hafez, Tomb of Sa’di, Jameh Mosque of Atigh, and Persepolis are among the historical, cultural, and ancient sites of Shiraz that are of interest to domestic and foreign tourists.

The UNESCO-registered Persepolis, also known as Takht-e Jamshid, whose magnificent ruins rest at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy), was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It is situated 60 kilometers northeast of the city of Shiraz in Fars Province.

The ancient city is also home to some magnificent historical gardens such as Bagh-e Narenjestan and Eram Garden, which are top tourist destinations both for domestic and international sightseers.  

UNESCO describes the Persian Garden as an idea that combines natural elements with manmade components to materialize the concept of Eden or Paradise on Earth.

ABU/AFM