Three Iranian regions will be proposed for inscription in the list of UNESCO world craft cities in 2019, a senior official at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization said.
The number of Iranian cities or villages boasting the global title would increase to nine if the dossier was accepted by World Crafts Council's board of directors, IRNA quoted Vida Tavahodi, head of planning council for national and international craft cities at ICHHTO, as saying.
"The targeted places include Yazd in Yazd Province, for production of Zilou [a type of rug woven in two faces with cotton fibers], Abadeh in Fars Province, for Monabbat [wood carving] and the village of Khorashad in South Khorasan Province as home to towel knitters," Tavahodi said.
Pointing to the fact that UNESCO's global status for craft cities is granted for their existing potential, the official emphasized: "We are not seeking the creation of new capacities, but aim to highlight and develop the already existing ones; hence, those cities lacking the prerequisite are not eligible for nomination."
She called for active involvement of the government and the private sector to help ICHHTO promote the genuine capacities hidden in the artistically rich country.
Going Global
Over the past few years, authorities have grabbed every possible opportunity to introduce Iranian handmade artworks to the world, among which global recognition for six cities and a village as world craft centers.
The cities that achieved international recognition from UNESCO's World Crafts Council include Tabriz in East Azarbaijan for its hand-woven carpets, Isfahan for its decorative handicrafts, Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi Province for its gemstones and Lalejin in Hamedan Province for its pottery.
Marivan in Kurdestan Province and Sirjan in Kerman Province have also received UNESCO's recognition respectively for Kalash (traditional handmade shoes) and kilim (flat tapestry-woven rugs). Kalpourgan Village in Sistan-Baluchestan Province became the World Crafts Village for pottery made by women.
New Category
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network, according to Tavahodi, is the other opportunity introduced by the organization that has received less attention by Iranian heritage officials.
The category enlists cities potential in seven creative fields, namely crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
Pointing to Iran's insignificant share of the credit, the official noted that solely Rasht in Gilan Province and Isfahan in Isfahan Province have so far been recorded respectively as "the cities of gastronomy and handicrafts".
"This is too trivial for a country like Iran in view of its rich history, culture and art," Tavahodi said.
From a total of 297 types of handicrafts in Iran, 196 originate in Isfahan, creating jobs for over 40,000 people.
Among the numerous types of handicrafts in Iran, the most famed are felts, tribal rugs, glasswork, pottery, ceramics and tiles, traditional furniture, copper and brass ornaments, woodwork (including mosaic, wood carving and inlaid), enamel work and engravings.
A large number of small, medium-sized and large production units are active in the country's handicrafts sector.
