TEHRAN – The organizers of the seventh edition of the Fajr handicrafts festival, one of Iran’s major crafts shows, have planned to hold the festival internationally for the first time, the deputy tourism minister has said. 

The festival will be inaugurated on February 15 in National Museum of Iran and will come to an end on February 23 at Tehran’s Milad Tower, Maryam Jalali explained on Tuesday. 

Cultural heritage and tourism can benefit from handicrafts because handicrafts are part of a nation’s roots and originality, she added. 

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. For instance, Shiraz is named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts”, Malayer is a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture, while Zanjan has gained the title of a “world city of filigree.”

In addition, the ancient city of Shiraz has been chosen to host the 39th General Assembly of the World Crafts Council-Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR) in May 2023. Shiraz has a remarkable amount of handicraft pioneers. With an average age of 70, some of these pioneers are still active in their workshops. The occupational records of about 100 pioneers are collected and are annually praised by the custodians of the WCC General Office.

ABU/