TEHRAN. Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zargami appointed a new Deputy for Handicrafts on June 1.
Maryam Jalali Dehkordi, who is expected to oversee the handicraft sector of the ancient country, previously served as the director of Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural and Historical Complex, which includes several iconic buildings, museums and monuments built in the 19th and 20th centuries during Pahlavi times. and late Qajar eras.
Jalali Dehkordi replaced Pouya Mahmudyan, who took over the company in April 2018. In addition, Zargami chose Makhmudyan as his senior adviser on issues related to crafts.
With 14 entries, Iran ranks first in the world for the number of towns and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, followed by China with seven entries, Chile with four and India with three. For example, Shiraz is called the “world city [diverse] handicrafts”, Malayer is the world center of woodcarving and carved wooden furniture, and Zanjan has received the title of “world city of filigree”.
In addition, the ancient city of Shiraz has been selected as the venue for the 39th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific World Craft Council (WCC-APR) in May 2023. There are many handicraft pioneers in Shiraz. Some of these pioneers, with an average age of 70, are still active in their workshops. The professional records of about 100 pioneers are collected and evaluated annually by the custodians of the Main Directorate of the WCC.
Available data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts shows that the value of Iran’s handicraft exports was $120 million during the first eleven months of the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (March 20, 2020 – February 18, 2021), Mehr reported. Exports of handicrafts from the country in these months fell sharply compared to the same period last year due to the damage caused to global trade by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Islamic Republic exported $427 million worth of handicrafts during the first eleven months of calendar year 1398. Of that amount, about $190 million was earned through suitcase trading (allowed for duty-free and duty-free) across 20 provinces, according to the data. data collected by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Crafts. Pottery, ceramic vessels, handmade fabrics, and personal jewelry with precious and semi-precious stones are traditionally exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, the United States, Great Britain and other countries.
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