Samarkand on of the most important cities in all Uzbekistan tours was visited by Dr. Gad Hajavi, President of the World Handicraft Council for the Asia-Pacific Region (WCC-APR). She has visited the historical monuments of the ancient city, met with representatives of the association "Hunarmand", as well as with artisans. The guest received the city Mayer, Boburmirzo Oblakulov.

During the visit, Mayer of the city has introduced Samarkand by speaking about its history and architectural monuments. At the same time, he focused on traditional types of crafts with a long history. According to him in the city there are 2500 artisans working in 34 areas. Six craft centers established in the region, and three of them operate in Samarkand. This conversation leads into the topic of   considering the inclusion of Samarkand in the List of the World City of Artisans.

In response, the guest noted that one of the goals of her visit was to discuss the issue of granting Samarkand the status of a world city of artisans, which would significantly improve the image of the ancient city. This will also play a great role on promoting Uzbekistan tours in the countries all of the World.

“The world list of cities of artisans has existed since 2014. This is a project of the World Handicraft Council. Currently, the List includes 30 cities from different countries of the world. By the way, 10 of them are from Iran. We would like to see Samarkand among them. We express our willingness to work together to provide Samarkand with the status of a world city of artisans, ”said Dr. Hijavi.

During the conversation, she noted the positive changes that have occurred in relations between the World Crafts Councils and Uzbekistan. Thus, the Association of Artisans "Hunarmand" in March of this year became a member of the World Crafts Council. This organization supported the initiative of the Government of Uzbekistan to hold the International Festival of Craftsmen in September 2019 in Kokand.so Samarkand has a great chance on receiving the status of the world city of artisans.
In her short interview with local journalists, Ms. Hijavi emphasized that during her short stay in Samarkand she enjoyed very much and she hopes will see a lot more in her future Uzbekistan tours , she mentioned:“Along with outstanding monuments, I saw artisans who are very impressive. I can say good words to the masters who make national musical instruments” the guest shared.