TEHRAN – A house of handicrafts is set to be inaugurated in the ancient city of Bam, which is famed for its magnificent UNESCO-registered adobe citadel.

“A house of handicrafts will be inaugurated in Bam to help develop and promote various fields of handicrafts and to train new crafters,” Kerman province’s deputy tourism chief said on Monday.

Weaving kilims, woodcarving, handwoven textile, stone carving, precious and semi-precious stones, and leatherwork are amongst arts and crafts to be practiced in the house, which covers an area of 500 square meters, the official noted.

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). 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.

Bam and its Cultural Landscape is located on the southern edge of the Iranian high plateau in Kerman province. It’s highly regarded as an outstanding example of an ancient fortified settlement.

According to UNESCO, the origins of the citadel can be traced back to the Achaemenid period (6th to 4th centuries BC) and even beyond. The ensemble was at crossroads of important trade routes as well in its heyday sometime between the 7th to 11th centuries.

The big and sprawling Kerman province has been a cultural melting pot since antiquity, blending Persians with subcontinental tribe dwellers.

AFM