TEHRAN -- Iranian handicrafts are increasingly being used not only as cultural exports but also as a means of developing cross-border trade, with 25 artists and craftspeople from Ilam presenting their work in the Iraqi cities of Al-Suwayrah and Kut.
The 68th Ilam Handicrafts Exhibition, held in Wasit province, is intended to expand sales opportunities for local producers while strengthening economic and cultural ties with neighboring Iraq. Officials say the initiative reflects a broader effort to connect the province’s traditional crafts with markets beyond Iran.
Ilam’s handicraft sector draws on a diverse range of traditional skills, including patterned kilim weaving, wood carving and metalwork. The products carry distinctive regional designs and techniques shaped by the province’s history and cultural links with communities across the border.
The exhibition also highlights the economic potential of a sector that remains closely tied to local production. Ilam is home to more than 30,000 artisans and craftspeople working across 33 handicraft disciplines, supported by workshops and small-scale production networks throughout the province.
For many of these producers, Iraq represents a particularly accessible foreign market. Ilam shares a 430-kilometer border with Iraq, the longest such border among Iran’s provinces, and maintains direct connections with the Iraqi provinces of Diyala, Wasit and Maysan.
Geography is reinforced by longstanding cultural links. Communities on both sides of the border share historical, religious and linguistic ties, including connections through Southern Kurdish, known in Iraq as 
Feyli Kurdish. Those links have helped create familiarity with the traditions and products originating in Ilam.
Farzad Sharifi, director general of Ilam’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said the exhibition forms part of a broader strategy to develop new markets, support artisans and increase sales of locally produced handicrafts.
 He said the participation of 25 artists and craftspeople in the Iraqi exhibition was designed to build on previous initiatives promoting Ilam’s artistic capabilities and expanding economic and cultural cooperation with Iraq.
The interest of Iraqi buyers, according to provincial officials, points to the commercial potential of the neighboring market. For Ilam’s artisans, proximity can reduce some of the logistical barriers associated with reaching foreign consumers while cultural familiarity can make regional products more accessible.