TEHRAN – Handicraft exports from the northern Gilan province reached three million dollars during the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended March 20), the provincial tourism chief has said.

“The value of handicrafts exports from Gilan reached some $3 million last year,” ISNA quoted Hamidreza Azarpour as saying on Sunday.

Gilan’s handicraft exports in the first half of the current (Iranian) year grew by 25 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, the official added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the official said: “One of our concerns is to protect cultural heritage.”

“Through the promotion of our traditional culture, we should be able to prevent a generation gap in the field of cultural heritage and handicrafts.”

Earlier this year, the provincial tourism directorate said that handicraft exports from Gilan reached some $800,000 during the first half of the current Iranian year.

Pottery and ceramic, woodwork, wickerwork, and leatherwork were amongst the objects exported to some European and neighboring countries.

Gilan is bounded by the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the north, Ardabil province on the west, Zanjan province on the southwest, Qazvin province on the south, and Mazandaran province on the east.

Gilan is well-known for its rich Iron Age cemeteries such as Marlik that have been excavated over the past century. It was once within the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.

Sophisticated Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, has long been a weekend escape for residents of Tehran who are looking to sample the famous local cuisine and hoping for some pluvial action–it's the largest and wettest town in the northern region. Gilan is divided into a coastal plain, including the large delta of Sefid Rud and adjacent parts of the Alborz mountain range.

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.

In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zanjan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the WCC- Asia-Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world crafts cities and villages from ten to 14.

Shiraz was named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts.”Malayer was made a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture. Zanjan gained the title of a “world city of filigree.”And Qassemabad village, which is nationally known for its traditional costumes, was also promoted to a world hub of handicrafts. Chador Shab, a kind of homemade outer-garment for women, was, however, the main subject of the WCC assessment for the village.

Ceramics, pottery vessels, handwoven cloths as well as personal ornamentations with precious and semi-precious gemstones are traditionally exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, the U.S., the UK, and other countries.

AM