TEHRAN – Collections of indigenous handicrafts and souvenirs have been put on show in a sales exhibition which is currency underway in the port city of Bushehr.

Hasirs in the shapes of floorings, baskets, and decorative objects take the center stage in the exhibition organized to mark the longest night of the year, a local tourism official said on Saturday.

Hasir-bafi (mat weaving) has long been practiced in the southwestern province using special dried-out leaves and stems. 

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.

The value of Iran’s handicrafts exports stood at $120 million during the first eleven months of the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (March 20, 2020 – February 18, 2021), Mehr reported. The country’s handicrafts exports slumped during the mentioned months in comparison to the same period last a year earlier due to the damage the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on global trade.

The Islamic Republic exported $427 million worth of handicrafts during the first eleven months of the calendar year 1398. Of the figure, some $190 million was earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and tax-free transfer) through 20 provinces, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

AFM