TEHRAN—Sanandaj, which is a UNESCO-designated Creative City of Music, is set to host a regional exhibit on handicrafts in the near future.

Tens of craftspeople from western Iranian provinces have been invited to show their works at a regional exhibition to be held in Sanandaj from October 8 to 13, Kordestan province’s tourism chief said on Thursday.

The weeklong exhibition will be attended by participants from Kermanshah, Kordestan, Hamedan, West Azarbaijan, Ilam, and Zanjan, Mansour Mehrzad said.

Stalls dedicated to local dishes and souvenirs, workshops, and meetings will be set up during the event as well, he noted.

Sanandaj, the capital of Kordestan province, has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) since 2019. Having a population of around 500,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest Kurdish city in Iran.

According to available data, the value of Iran’s handicraft exports stood at $400 million during the first ten months of the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (Mar. 21, 2022—Jan. 20, 2023). Compared to the same period a year earlier, the figure represents some 30 percent growth.

At present, a total of 13 cities and three villages in Iran have been registered by the World Council of Handicrafts as “world cities of handicrafts”.

AFM