TEHRAN – On Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi went to a local handicraft exhibition during his two-day visit to the southern Fars province.

During the visit, Raisi unveiled two exquisitely decorated models of the Prophet’s Mosque (al-Masjid an-Nabawi) that measured three by two meters, and Hafez mausoleum that measured two meters in height, IRNA reported.

The showcased objects represented 35 handicraft fields, such as woodwork, tilework, sculpture, embossing, textile printing, traditional footwear, and textile, to name a few.

The Islamic Republic exported handcrafted commodities valued at $300 million to various countries, including the Persian Gulf littoral states and Iraq during the Iranian calendar year 1401, which came to an end on March 20, data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said.

According to available data, about 520,000 Iranian artists are currently active in 299 fields of handicrafts in the country. Moreover, the handicrafts sector of the country has generated jobs for more than 2.5 million people, of which some 1.5 million are registered in government databases and around 0.5 million are licensed workers.

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

From exquisite carpets to subtle miniature paintings, and from turquoise inlaid objects to floral potteries, each one hints at skills passed down from generation to generation.

The country’s skilled artisans use raw materials like wood, bones, silk, wool, copper, silver, gold, and gemstones to create exquisite handicrafts. They perform a miracle by infusing their sentiments and cultural ideas into these traditional handicrafts. Because of this, Persian artwork is incomparably valuable compared to many other works of art from around the world.

AFM