The council for national registration of cities and villages with special native handicrafts in Iran was formed in 2017 to pave the way for global registration of handicrafts regions in Iran.
Pouya Mohammadi, a senior official in handicrafts and traditional arts, said that national registration would accelerate global recognition of handicrafts by World Crafts Council and attract national and foreign tourists by branding Iran's handicrafts regions.
Iran began global registration of cities by filing Isfahan and Tabriz cases in WCC, leading to recognition of the cities respectively as world handicrafts and world hand-woven carpet cities.
Lalejin and Mashhad were in the next row to gain global recognition as world pottery city (Iran's pottery capital) and world gemstones city.
Isfahan, world handicrafts city
There are totally 602 handicrafts fields identified in a global scale. 299 fields are peculiar to Iran, from which 199 fields – one-third of global number – are in Isfahan, according to Jafar Jafarsalehi, deputy for handicrafts and traditional arts in Isfahan province,
He also said that there are roughly 60,000 craftspeople in Isfahan province and 80 percent of them are in Isfahan city.
60 to 70 percent of handicrafts products in Iran are manufactured in Isfahan province, Jafarsalehi said, adding that the Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan city is the largest handicrafts marketplace in the world.
Tabriz, world hand-woven carpet city
Yashar Malfouzi, a hand-woven carpet manufacturer and expert, criticized that the global recognition of Tabriz as a world carpet city should be preceded by national fame which, he believes, has not been achieved in the case of the Tabriz carpet industry.
He recommended establishing a global carpet museum in Tabriz to exhibit globally known samples of carpet crafts and putting an Iranian carpet in Iran's missions in foreign countries.
Lalejin, world pottery city
Figures and statistics show that 80 percent of Lalejin's 17,000 population is engaged in either pottery, ceramic or related vocations. Preparing raw materials for pottery, decoration, and packaging are among different categories of the industry that Lalejin people do.
Mashhad, world gemstones city
There are 70 handicraft fields identified in Khorasan Razavi province, of which 62 are peculiar to Mashhad city, the province capital.
Over 20,000 craftspeople are working in 8,900 workshops in Mashhad. Khorasan Razavi province has many rich gemstone mines, including Turquoise and agate, aquamarine, sapphire, ruby, rutile, orthoclase, Chrysocolla, jasper, onyx, opal, garnet, mountain, rose quartz, andalusite, ilmenite, aragonite, and palygorskite.
Abdul-Samad Rahimi, the head of Turquoise Cutting Association, said that there are 380 business units in Mashhad that do turquoise cutting and Neishabur city is the capital of turquoise in Iran.
Kalpurgan, world pottery village
Kalpurgan is a village 25 kilometers from Saravan city, 390 kilometers southwest of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province.
The village has a history of 7,000 years of pottery. Its native Baluch residents manufacture pottery products without a pottery wheel and completely by hands.
Mostly done by women of Kalpurgan, the pottery products of this village enjoy global fame, bespeaking the artistic spirit and culture of the people of the village.
Tahereh Azad, a pottery artist in Kapurgan, said that the village lacks the capacity to host a global audience, urging the government to prepare the required infrastructure to make the village able to host foreign tourists.
She thanked Iran's ICT Minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, for installing a telecommunications tower, allowing villagers to access the internet and social networks to promote their products.
Sirjan, world kilim city
Kilim, or Shiriki-Pech as local people say, is the most distinct hand-woven product of Sirjan, and more exactly Darestan village.
There are about 200 workshops in the county, including Darestan village, manufacturing Shiriki-Pech which is going to experience a global market with its international recognition in WCC.
Marivan, world Kalash city
Kalash, a kind of soft, comfortable, and durable handmade shoe, has been manufactured in Iran's Kordestan region for over 2,000 years.
Given the mountainous nature of the region, Kalash is designed to be so resistant that it can survive long and difficult mountaineering.
Meybod, world Ziloo city
Most of the Ziloo manufacturers in Meybod have inherited that handicraft from generations. The number of people involved in the industry has seen a surge since 2019 when it gained global recognition and now over 300 artists are working under the aegis of 24 old masters.
The cotton-rug has also gained prominence as a healthy rug since no artificial material is used in its production process.
Abadeh, world wood curving city
The age-old craft locally called Monabbat is done with curving various patterns on the wood. The art is used in decorating different objects and furniture, from doors to chairs and any other wooden product.
Khorashad, world towel weaving village
Located 25 kilometers southeast Birjand – the capital of South Khorasan province, Khorashad village is the seat centuries-old handicrafts, called Tawbafi (meaning towel weaving).
Hossein Abbaszadeh, Handicrafts deputy of the province, said that the industry has a 300-year-old history but was slowing down in recent years. But it began to grow again after the Cooperative of Khorashad Women was established in the year 2000.
Shiraz, second world handicrafts city
Some 80 crafts fields are currently active in Fars province, most of which are peculiar to Shiraz city.
Kilim, Jajim, Babbeh, carpet, Khatamkari, tile work (Kashi), mirror work (Ayneh kari), and plastering are among the most prominent handicrafts of Shiraz.
Zanjan, world filigree city
Filigree, called Malileh in Persian, is a form of intricate metalwork mostly done by silver. The craft dates back to centuries BC.
Malileh products manufactured in Zanjan are of global popularity because of high quality (pure silver) and the diversity of products.
Malayer, world wood carving city
The great family of wood carving and furniture in Malayer city in Hamadan province has 25,000 members and 9,000 masters who work in over 5,000 active workshops.
Malayer County has a 65 percent share in Iran's furniture industry. The city holds festivals every year, attracting thousands of people. In the 2019 summer, over 150,000 tourists visited the city.
Qasem Abad, world Chador Shab weaving village
Fazeleh Babaei, 34, learned that art from her mother. She says most of the girls in the village are taught by their mothers to weave Chador Shab, a cloth woven by silk, cotton, or wool.
Fazeleh was graduated in the MBA field and works in the minding and industry sphere. But she says that she is still active in the Chador Shab business as a personal interest.
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