TEHRAN – Sales of handicrafts in Khorasan Razavi reached 87.5 billion rials ($327,000) during the two-week new year (Noruz) holidays, starting March 21.

Some 48 temporary handicraft markets were set up across the northeastern province during the mentioned time, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said. 

Handicrafts with the highest sales were traditional jewelry, semi-precious stones, kilim and Firoozeh-Koobi (Turquoise-ramming), Reza Ebrahimnia explained on Sunday. 

Mashhad, the capital of Khorasan Razavi province, is Iran’s holiest and second-largest city which embraces the shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam.

Dozens of five-star hotels and hostels are dotted across Mashhad. The city has also the highest concentration of water parks in the country, and it also embraces a variety of cultural and historical sites that are generally crowded. The metropolis is also a good place to buy top handwoven rugs and carpets, and it’s a staging post for travel to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and little-touristic Khorasan regions.

Before the coronavirus puts almost everything on lockdown, Mashhad, played host to thousands of travelers and pilgrims who come from various Iranian cities, neighboring countries, and even across the globe to visit the holy shrine.

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. In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zanjan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the WCC- Asia Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world crafts cities and villages from ten to 14.

ABU/AFM