Since time immemorial, the continuity of agricultural and animal husbandry activities in Iran, together with its special climateological and geographical situation, on the one hand, and Iranians' talent, creative power, and artistic taste, on the other, has caused our country to have a particularly outstanding place in handicrafts production.

Adopting the Islamic religion in Iran, in the last decades of the seventh century (A.D), caused original Iranian cultural and artistic content to be intermingled with Islamic values, and Iranian handicrafts acquired a richer, more popular content, and grew and flourished, even in the realm of architecture and tile-working.

According to the most recent definition "the handicrafts may be defined as combination of art and craft, in which process the products made utilise local raw material(s); the main stages of production are performed by hand with manual tools and instruments; and each product unit reflects its producer's artistic talent and mental creativity in some way." The characteristics of the handicrafts are as follows:
1) Some main stages of production being done by hand, and by manual tools and instruments; 2) The effective presence of human creativity in production and formation of manufactured products with diversity of designs and the techniques of carrying them out, being also possible; 3) The utilisation of the main part of raw material(s), from the domestic resources;
4) Having cultural weight;
5) Dissimilarity of productive outputs with one another;
6) Not much capital investments being required;
7) Having much value added;
8 )Capability of being established and developed in techniques of production for generations.

Iranian handicrafts are now classified according to their manufacturing techniques and processes:

• 1) Weaving of floor-covering;
• 2) Hand- woven textiles;
• 3) Embroidery;
• 4) Knitting;
• 5) Traditional printing;
• 6) Felting; 7) Pottery and ceramics;
• 8) Glass-blowing;
• 9) Making leather and hide products;
• 10) Metalworking and alloying;
• 11) Carving, lattice work, and engraving metals and alloys;
• 12) Stone cutting and carving;
• 13) Wood turning;
• 14) Wood elaborate work and finishing;
• 15) Inlaying, wood carving and lattice work;
• 16) Mat-making;
• 17) Marquette;
• 18) Mosaic work;
• 19) Tile-working;
• 20) Filigree work;
• 21) Enamel work;
• 22) Fine arts;
• 23) Jewellery, etc.