The historical cities of Isfahan and Tabriz were declared “World Craft City” by the World Craft Council, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
The council’s Evaluation Committee traveled to Iran in early June and visited the two cities, where they met local artisans and evaluated the state of handicrafts and workshops, ISNA reported.
During the last meeting of WCC-Asia Pacific, the two cities received overwhelming support, especially from the heads of regions, including North America and Europe, and were approved for inscription on the council’s list.
WCC President Wang Shan and WCC-Asia Pacific President Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi sent messages to the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Masoud Soltanifar, and congratulated him on the achievement.
In 2015, only six cities across the world were nominated for inscription. Due to their features and special conditions for production of handicrafts and rugs, Isfahan and Tabriz were inscribed on the global list at the same time.
Isfahan and Tabriz are the only cities in Iran to boast the title of World Crafts City.
Experts believe the inscription of the cities will help promote traditional Iranian handicrafts and, by extension, boost tourism.
ICHHTO has been following the mantra “Each province, an international brand; each city, a national brand” for the past two years. The global recognition for Isfahan and Tabriz will hopefully encourage the organization to help other Iranian cities receive the same acknowledgement.
