More Cities in Line to Grab Global Stature

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."