TEHRAN – A collection of selected handmade artworks made by Iranian artisans and craftspeople is currently on show at the 7th edition of the Fajr handicrafts festival, which officially opened to the public on Wednesday at the National Museum of Iran in downtown Tehran.

The opening ceremony was attended by Maryam Jalali and Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, who are respectively deputies for handicrafts and tourism at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, and a number of cultural and tourism officials as well as the museum’s director Jebrael Nokandeh, Mehr reported on Friday. 

In addition to the selected artisans, s section of the festival is also dedicated to showcasing works by the veterans and leading masters in the handicrafts sector, the report added. 

The festival will come to an end on February 23 at Tehran’s Milad Tower.

Earlier this month, Jalali said that cultural heritage and tourism can benefit from handicrafts and this festival because handicrafts are part of a nation’s roots and originality. 

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/AM