TEHRAN -- The 19th National Iranian Ash Festival and 20th National Handicrafts and Souvenirs Exhibition will bring artists, artisans and cooks from across Iran to Zanjan from August 24 to 28, officials said Sunday.
Seyyed Mikaeil Mousavi, director general of Zanjan’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said cooks and artisans from 23 provinces will participate in the ash festival, which began in 2005 and has become an annual cultural event in the northwestern province.
The festival will feature 40 booths, alongside traditional black tents offering regional breads and dishes from different parts of Iran. A preliminary event held on August 15–16 attracted about 100 local applicants, with selected participants advancing to the main festival.
The accompanying handicrafts exhibition will feature 155 booths, with artists from 29 provinces expected to participate. 
Mousavi said Zanjan has about 12,000 handicraft artisans working in more than 55 fields, ranking among Iran’s top five provinces for handicrafts and serving as a national center for metal crafts and a global city for filigree.
Organizers have also sought to give the souvenirs section a more specialized character rather than allowing it to become a general marketplace, while arrangements have been made to accommodate participating artisans.
Mousavi said promoting Zanjan’s cultural and tourism potential and attracting visitors from other provinces are among the festival’s main objectives, with the event designed to appeal to visitors across generations.
The festival was originally planned for spring at the Gavazang Tourism Complex, but infrastructure and administrative preparations prevented its use this year. It will instead be held at the Caspian Exhibition Complex, following a decision to support the venue.
Mousavi said organizers hope to return the festival to Gavazang next year and hold it during spring, when local herbs and wild greens give ash additional culinary and cultural significance.