TEHRAN – A total of 11 Iranian cities and three villages have been designated as global handicrafts hubs by the World Crafts Council, accounting for 24 percent of the 59 such designations worldwide.

According to IRNA, one of the most important advantages of global registration of cities is opportunities for local people and double motivation for learning and promoting handicrafts. The global registration will also make these crafts famous. In addition to numerous economic and social benefits for the local population, it leads to the development of tourism. 

Shiraz 
Shiraz in Fars province was introduced by UNESCO as world city of handicrafts in 2019. It was officially known as world city of handicrafts by World Crafts Council due to its numerous arts such as khatamkari, woodcarving, tile making, kilim and rugs, traditional glassmaking, and pottery and ceramic handicrafts. 

Malayer 

Malayer in Hamedan province achieved to gain the title of world city of carved furniture in December 2019. Malayer annually hosts many tourists and customers in this regard. Malayer’s carved furniture industry applied advertising properly via TV, billboards, and social media. The city managed to sell 9,500 billion rials ($10.5 million) worth of carved furniture in March 2025.

Isfahan

Isfahan is the first Iranian city which has been registered as world city of handicrafts. It is the cradle of Iran’s handicrafts. About 602 handicrafts fields have been identified worldwide, of which 299 pertain to Iran, out of which 200 pertain to Isfahan province. Woodcarving, painting, tile making, carpet weaving, enameling, potteries and ceramics are the most famous arts of Isfahan.

Mashhad
Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi province was selected by World Crafts Council as world city of gemstones in 2016. A gemstone, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, is a cut piece of mineral crystal that is used as jewelry or ornaments.

Zanjan

Malileh (filigree) in Zanjan is a delicate and original art that is still alive in this land with the patience of artists. This art in Zanjan is indebted to artists who have created valuable works with very basic tools. In 2019, this city was registered on World Crafts Council list as the World City for Filigree. There are over 45 fields of handicrafts in Zanjan province like filigree, knife making, coppersmith, kilim weaving, and giveh weaving. Close to 230 artisans are involved in malileh art in 50 workshops across Zanjan province.

Tabriz
The United Nations selected Tabriz in East Azarbaijan province as World City for Carpet in 2014. This city is considered one of the main carpet weaving centers across the world. The skilled Tabrizi weavers have recently been involved in producing delicate silk flower carpets with row counts of 50 and 60 on a large scale. 

Tabriz carpets in the last 100 years have often been woven with designs of vases, trees, altars, lamps, animals, hunting grounds, Herati, branches and foliage, flowers, brickwork or frame-by-frame weaving, landscape weaving, Quranic frames, and geometric patterns from the smallest to the largest possible sizes.

Lalejin
Lalejin as World City for Pottery is one of the most known tourist attractions of Hamedan province. Over 1,200 pottery workshops are active in Lalejin.

Abadeh
The World Crafts Council registered Abadeh in Fars province as World City for Woodcarving in 2018. According to the available historical documents, Abadeh is considered the origin of traditional woodcarving.

Meybod 
Meybod was registered by World City Council as World City for Zilou in 2018. This city is famous worldwide due to its zilou weaving art which dates back to 800 years ago. 

Marivan
Marivan was registered as the World Craft City for Kalash, a kind of giveh which is used by Kurdish people, in 2017.

Sirjan
Sirjan has been designated as World City for Kilim.  This city is famous worldwide due to weaving needlepoint kilim which is used for production of bags, tableaus, the chair cover, etc. For years, it has constituted part of the country's non-oil exports. 

Khorashad village 

Khorashad village in southeast of Birjand, South Khorasan province, was registered as World City for Tow-Bafi (towelmaking) in 2018. In fact, due to the softness and delicacy of the tow-bafi fabrics and their high absorbency of moisture, this craft is also called Howleh-bafi or towelmaking.

Qasemabad village 

Qasemabad village in Roudsar, Gilan province, is a vibrant gem recognized globally as the World Village of Chador-Shab Weaving by the World Handicrafts Council. Chador Shab is a vibrant, geometrically patterned fabric that represents both artistic heritage and daily life in northern Iran. Also called Chorshab or Lavan, is a fabric traditionally handwoven by women using a manual loom known locally as Pachal. This art dates back to 2,000 years ago.

Kalpurgan village 

Kalpurgan village in Sistan-Baluchestan province has been registered on National Heritage List under the number 6472 in 2002 in lights of its 7,000-year-old pottery art. The pottery in this village is made entirely by Baloch women by hand, without a potter's wheel.  Kalpurgan has the world’s sole Living Museum of Pottery. 

KD