TEHRAN – Two handicraft fields, which were forgotten in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, have recently been revived, a local tourism official has announced. 

Neglected handicraft fields of pottery painting and Minakari (enamel) have been brought back to life with a great deal of efforts made by the local artisans, Mohammad Taherian Moqaddam said on Thursday. 

There have been efforts in the region to revive traditional fields such as jewelry, leatherwork, and Sermeh-duzi, and more than 10 billion rials ($238,000 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) of facilities has been allocated to this purpose, the official added.

Minakari is an ancient art of painting natural motifs such as flowers and birds on the surface of metals, mostly copper.

Over the ages, the art of Minakari has fascinated many famed people including French traveler Jean Chardin and American orientalist Arthur Pope. Isfahan is one of the traditional hubs of the craft in the Iranian plateau. The prices are diverse, therefore you can either spend a lot or little money on these special pieces of art.

With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next.

The value of Iran’s handicrafts exports stood at $120 million during the first eleven months of the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (March 20, 2020 – February 18, 2021), Mehr reported. The country’s handicrafts exports slumped during the mentioned months in comparison to the same period last a year earlier due to the damage the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on global trade.

The Islamic Republic exported $427 million worth of handicrafts during the first eleven months of the calendar year 1398. Of the figure, some $190 million was earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and tax-free transfer) through 20 provinces, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

ABU/AFM