TEHRAN – A sum of 70 billion rials (about $1.7 million at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been invested in the handicrafts sector of North Khorasan province during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), the provincial tourism chief said on Tuesday.

Handicraft products worth over 50 billion rials ($1.2 million) have been exported from the northeastern province during the mentioned time, Ali Mostofian said.  

He also noted that during the mentioned period the province’s artisans and crafters received 78 billion rials ($1.8 million) in loans to support their businesses.

Currently, over 17,000 artisans and crafters are practicing 61 handicraft fields across the ancient province, he noted.

Experts believe though the northeastern province may not be the first choice of travelers, its tourism industry is getting momentum.

According to Lonely Planet, most foreign tourists pass straight through North Khorasan in transit between Mashhad and Gorgan, but if you have time to explore, it’s worth diverting south from the capital, Bojnurd, towards Esfarayen, famed for its wrestling tournaments, the remarkable citadel of Belqays and the partly preserved stepped village of Roein some 20km north.

ABU/AFM