TEHRAN – Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization has recently designated Shiraz, the capital of southern Fars province, as the city of handicrafts, Mehr reported on Monday.

“We have put in a great deal of effort to earn such a title for Shiraz since Abadeh [a city in Fars province] gained the same title for wood carving in 2018,” provincial tourism chief Mosayeb Amiri said.

In the same year, Abadeh was also named a world crafts city for woodcarving by the World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR).

Currently over 20,000 craftspeople are active in Shiraz, of whom 12,872 have been granted production licenses, the official said.

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 (1751–1794).

Over two million artisans are currently working in various fields of handicrafts across Iran, CHHTO deputy director Pouya Mahmoudian, said in February.

“Until now, some 400,000 craftspeople have been registered by the CHHTO,” she added.

Handicrafts exports from the Islamic Republic reached $289 million in the past Iranian calendar year 1397 (March 2018-March 2019), a three- percent growth year on year, according to data compiled by the Organization.

Traditional ceramics, pottery vessels, handwoven cloths as well as personal ornamentations with precious and semi-precious gemstones are among Iranian exports to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany, the U.S., the UK and other countries.        

AFM/MG