TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran has set up special showrooms for the submission of handicrafts orders by foreign trade delegations, an official with the country�s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) announced.

�We have launched and developed showrooms in the handicrafts department with the aim of receiving trade delegations,� Pouya Mahmoudian, the director-general of ICHTO�s Handicraft Exports Department, told the Tasnim News Agency on Friday.

�Trade delegations can have a half a day visit to these showrooms and place their orders for the handicrafts exhibited there,� she added.

The Department has also made arrangements with Iran�s Chamber of Commerce to send foreign delegations to visit these showrooms, Mahmoudian noted.

Iran has a long tradition of producing artisanal goods including Persian carpets, ceramics, copperware, brassware, glass, leather goods, textiles and wooden artifacts including wood inlaying --an art which consists of carving on inlaid pieces of wood and creating embossed designs on them.

In 2012, Iran�s handicrafts exports amounted to more than $700 million in value.

ICHTO Chief Massoud Soltanifar had earlier noted that the country, as one of the three global handicrafts hubs, holds world�s first rank in many handicrafts such as carpet-weaving, woodcarving, and wood inlaying.

By Tasnim News Agency