Efforts underway to make Kerman handicrafts flourish
The city of Kerman is not only famous for its numerous historical monuments, but also for the variety of widely used handicrafts being produced in the region.
The officials of the province’s handicrafts sector have focused on training activities during the last few years so that they can expand handicraft production to wider areas. They are trying to use the full capacities of the province to achieve these goals, IRNA reported.
The high price of handicrafts and the reduction of people’s purchasing power have been one of the main concerns of those involved in the sector in the province.
Many believe that adopting appropriate policies such as increasing handicrafts production and diversifying them will help solve the problem to a large extent.
Kazem Hosseinzadeh, deputy for Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization of Kerman said that 7,655 people underwent training courses run by the organization in the past Iranian year (ended March 20, 2023), while the figure for the preceding year was 6,000.
He said that handicraft training courses are offered according to the special features of each region, adding kilim-weaving, pateh-douzi (a kind of embroidery in which the textile is completely covered by colorful stitches), monabat-kari (wood-carving), engraving on copper, precious and semi-precious stones, hasir-bafi (mat-weaving) and golabatoon-douzi (a kind of embroidery) are among the main handicrafts of the province.
The official added that the ground has been prepared for handicraft artists to make brands and commercialize their products, adding that this would help the sector to flourish.
Referring to the stiff competition in the handicrafts market, he said that producers manufacturing quality artwork are more successful than others.
Currently, 70,000 people are active in the handicrafts sector of the province, producing 100 types of artwork.
Sirjan has been designated by UNESCO as the World Craft City for Kilim Weaving, while the five cities of Kerman, Ravar, Shahrebabak, Qalehganj and Rayen have been registered as national craft cities.
Eight historical sites of Kerman Province have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which is the highest number among Iranian provinces.
Kerman is one of the seven largest cities in Iran. With its dry and desert climate, rich history, and hospitable and warm-hearted people, it is known as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Iran.