TEHRAN - An online exhibition featuring handmade rings and jewelry by the artisans from the central province of Qom is scheduled to be held in the near future, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

Since the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting the province has gone down due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, one of the most important problems for the crafters is the sale of their items, Alireza Arjmandi announced on Monday. 

"Having handicraft products available on the internet is a solution that can have a direct impact both during and after the coronavirus outbreak," the official explained. 

Offering online training courses and selling traditional jewelry and handmade rings can be one way to break the deadlock in the handicraft sector, he added. 

Qom, national city of handmade rings

Qom has been designated as the national city of handmade rings as almost 1,200 crafters and artisans are active in the production of handmade jewelry and rings in workshops across the province.

The semi-precious stone mines, which are scattered across the province, are also one of Qom’s potential to be developed in this field of handicrafts.

Besides domestic travelers, foreign tourists, who are mostly from Arab countries and the Persian Gulf littoral states, are traditionally the main customers of these handmade products. 

Last July deputy tourism minister Pouya Mahmoudian announced that such national status can help promote Qom becoming a principal “brand” in this field of handicraft. 

The second-holiest city of the country after Mashhad, Qom is home to both the magnificent shrine of Hazrat-e Masumeh (SA) and the major religious madrasas (schools).

Apart from sightseers and pilgrims who visit Qom to pay homage at the holy shrine, the city is also a top destination for Shiite scholars and students who come from across the world to learn Islamic studies at its madrasas and browse through eminent religious bookshops.

The antiquity of Qom goes back to the Sassanid era (224 CE–651) and several historical mosques, mansions, and natural sceneries have been scattered across the city as well as towns and villages nearby.

ABU/AFM