TEHRAN – On Thursday, an exhibition of Iranian handicrafts and traditional arts was inaugurated in Malayer, named a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture by the World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR). 

The exhibit, which has been organized on the occasion of Yalda night (Shab-e Chelleh), one of the most celebrated Persian traditional events, which marks the longest night of the year, is showcasing handmade products by local artisans, Malayer’s tourism chief said on Saturday. 

Collections of leatherwork, woodcarving, kilim carpets, potteries, and traditional dolls are on show at the exhibit, which will run until December 23, Ebrahim Jalili added. 

Located in Hamedan province, the ancient city is home to over 4,000 furniture workshops, 8,000 wood masters, and some 25,000 crafters.

Artists and crafters of this region use the wood of beech, walnut, and plane trees to make different products such as traditional, classic, steel, and sofa furniture. Their other products are dining tables, desks, all kinds of chairs, beds, and decorative pieces.

In some cases, the whole family is occupied with traditional furniture making and although they didn't make much money this way, their love for handicrafts and the increasing perseverance of woodcarving artists of Malayer shows today a new face of this art-craft to the world.

Currently, some 60 percent of the furniture and woodcarving products in Iran are reportedly produced in Malayer and they are sent to various Iranian cities or exported to Central Asian countries, Persian Gulf littoral states, Turkey, and Iraq amongst others.

Known in classical times as Ecbatana, Hamedan was one of the ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city center are given over to excavations, and there’s a scattering of historical curiosities.

ABU/AM