TEHRAN – The National Seal of Excellence has been granted to 16 high-quality works handcrafted by artisans of the north-central province of Semnan, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

Potteries and ceramics, leatherwork, gereh-chini, qalamkari, and copper work are among the works awarded with the National Seal of Excellence, Samaneh Soltanipur said on Monday.

The National Seal of Excellence is given to high-quality, selected works to support craftspeople, improve the quality of their works and preserve the originality of this industry, and create sustainable employment.

With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next. In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zanjan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the WCC Asia-Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world crafts cities and villages from ten to 14.

The main population centers of Semnan province lie along the ancient Silk Road (and modern-day Imam Reza Expressway), linking Rey (Tehran) with Khorasan (Mashhad). While few visitors spend much time in the area, driving through you can easily seek out several well-preserved caravanserais (notably Dehnamak and Ahowan), cisterns (the Cafe Abenbar in Garmsar is a special treat), and ruined mud citadels (Padeh is lumpy but fascinating). The large, bustling cities of Semnan, Damghan and Shahrud (Bastam) all have a small selection of historic buildings and Semnan has a fine old covered bazaar.

ABU/AM