Tehran – Officials from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Crafts have announced the lifting of the ban on backgammon exports.
According to Mehr’s news agency, Farzad Ojani said the ban will be lifted after years of approval with the trade promotion organisation and will be announced soon.
Referring to this lengthy process of pursuing demand, he said extensive communications and tracking with relevant agencies will be undertaken, and ultimately the ban on backgammon exports will be lifted based on recent investigations from the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade Legal Affairs and the Department of Parliamentary Affairs.
“Currently, Dehghan Denavi, head of Iran’s trade promotion organization, is in operation and is awaiting the official announcement of this decision from the Export and Import Law and Regulation Department.”
Ojani said states such as Isfahan, Fars, Carmanshire and Kordestan, which are considered the main centres of domestic backgammon production, were unable to exploit this economic potential due to legal restrictions despite high demand from markets in neighbouring countries.
He continued that lifting the ban could pave the way for sustainable employment for artists and craft producers. With the development of backgammon’s legal exports, the product’s export value is expected to reach $1 million, and important steps will be taken to strengthen the export of Iranian wooden products, he added.
In conclusion, Ojani expressed his hopes for the future of the sector, adding, “The official announcement of lifting the ban will allow domestic producers to benefit from the new opportunities of global markets and Iranian backgammon as one of the noble symbols of the country’s arts and industry.”
Mansoor Merzado, director of the Cordestan Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, said in April 2025 that six specific and intangible heritage in Cordestan were listed on the national heritage list this year.
He said Backgammon is on the national heritage list. “We proposed backgammon for national registration in 2011. Backgammon geography was entitled in 2016 under the name of Cordestan.”
KD