TEHRAN – Handicrafts made in Ardakan, a historical city in central Iran, have the potential to become an international brand and reach the global market, CHTN reported on Friday.
Supporting crafters of the city can be effective in creating job opportunities as well as developing the city, said deputy tourism minister Pouya Mahmoudian.
Ardakan lies on the margins of the central Iranian desert in Yazd province. Historical suctions such as qanats (underground aqueducts), windmills, badgirs (wind towers), caravanserais, mosques, and mansions constitute parts of its attractions.
Iran exported $527 million worth of handicrafts during the past calendar year 1398 (ended March 19).
Of the figure, some $273 million worth of handicrafts were exported officially through customs, and $254 million was earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and tax-free transfer) through various provinces.
Back in May, Mahmoudian noted that due to the outbreak of coronavirus, suitcase exports of handicrafts were completely stopped since the month of Esfand (the last month of the year), and official exports of handicrafts experienced a steep decline.
Talking on the significance of handicrafts in the country, she noted, “Iran globally ranks first in terms of having the topmost number of world cities [and villages] of handicrafts.”
“Some 295 fields of handicrafts are currently practiced across Iran with more than two million people engaging, majority of whom are women… Handicrafts also play an important role in the economy in our rural villages,” she said.
Iran’s handicrafts exports reached $289 million in the year 1397, showing three percent growth year on year, based on data released by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts. Traditional ceramics, pottery vessels, handwoven clothes as well as personal ornamentations with precious and semi-precious gemstones were exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, the U.S., the UK, and other countries.
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