TEHRAN – The World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR) is assessing possible registration of the 19th-century Sa’d al-Saltaneh marketplace, which is located adjacent to a historical caravanserai of the same name in Iran’s Qazvin province.

WCC-APR Director Ghada Hijavi paid a visit to the marketplace on Thursday, IRNA reported.

Sa’d al-Saltaneh handicrafts market can represent Iranians of [the whole] Iran and its various tribes and by the means of better planning, it can attract many tourists from many parts of the world, she said.

Hijavi proposed establishing of a museum dedicated to handicrafts from all over the globe in or next to the marketplace, adding such a museum along with offering handicrafts in appropriate packages are among necessities for the global registration of this place, as the first ever Iranian handicrafts market.

The vast, beautifully restored Qajar-era caravanserai and its neighboring marketplace exhibits exquisitely crafted wares such as traditional personal ornamentations, paintings, ceramics, carpets and potteries across its long, vaulted passageways and arcades. The vast monument also houses various galleries, workshops as well as coffee shops and restaurants, where visitors hangout.

The capital city of Qazvin was once the capital of the Persian Empire under Safavids from 1548-98.

So far, the WCC-APR has designated seven Iranian cities and villages as world crafts hubs, which are lately planned to be new destinations for sightseeing tours, according the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

According to data compiled by the Organization, over two million artisans are currently working in various fields of handicrafts across the ancient country.

AFM/MQ/MG