TEHRAN – Mazandaran province exported 4,500 handicraft items to Uzbekistan and Germany, a provincial official said on Saturday.

Atefeh Shabani, deputy head of handicrafts at the province’s Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said the shipment contained 4,500 wooden serving and kitchenware items produced using woodturning and fine woodcraft techniques, as well as interior decoration products.

She said the consignment was valued at approximately $250,000.

“This shipment constitutes the first phase of the export process, and the effort will continue as part of efforts to expand the province’s handicraft exports,” Shabani was quoted as saying by Miras Aria news agency.

The goods were dispatched through the Dogharoun customs office on the Iran-Afghanistan border, she added.

Shabani said that with the realization of this export, the provincial department has exceeded its performance commitment under the country’s Seventh National Development Plan in the handicrafts export sector.

She said supporting producers, facilitating export procedures and expanding target markets are among the department’s main programs to strengthen the position of Mazandaran’s handicrafts in international markets.

Shabani did not provide further detail about the export volumes to each of the two countries.

The picture-perfect province has long been a highly popular destination for domestic travelers. Its varied nature features plains, prairies, forests, and rainforests stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanos in Asia. More than 800 registered historical and cultural sites, 338 km of shoreline, mineral springs in jungles and mountains, waterfalls, and caves are among the major tourist attractions in the province.

AM