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January 7th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
TEHRAN-The craftspeople of Varamin, an ancient city in Tehran province, produce some 70 percent of Iran’s glassware and crystal, the local tourism chief has said.
The city is a hectic hub of glass production with 100 active workshops, Zhila Khodadadi announced on Wednesday.
Varamin’s crafters apply all modern techniques in this field and their handmade products are competitive with similar products imported from other countries such as Italy, the official added.
Varamin exports two trillion rials ($47.6 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) worth of glassware annually to the Persian Gulf littoral states and some European countries, she explained.
She also noted that $5 million worth of handmade glassware and crystals were exported directly and indirectly from Varamin to other countries during the last Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 19, 2020).
Last April, the provincial tourism chief Parvaneh Heydari announced that the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ministry plans to name Varamin the national city of handmade glassware.
Glasswork objects constitute a majority of Tehran province’s exports of handicrafts.
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 late January, 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 for the WCC assessment for the village.
Iran exported $523 million worth of handicrafts during the past calendar year 1398 (ended March 19). Of the figure, some $273 million worth of handicrafts were exported officially through customs, and about $250 million was earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and tax-free transfer) through various provinces, according to data provided by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
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.
ABU/ AFM
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