TEHRAN – Traditional skill of silk spinning, which has fallen into oblivion, is planned to be revived in the northern province of Gilan, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said. Reviving the forgotten fields of handicrafts and traditional arts is one of the priorities of the province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, IRNA quoted Hamidreza Azarpour as saying on Tuesday. To develop the handicrafts sector, artisans and craftspeople in the province are encouraged to diversify their products and packaging to increase sustainable employment, the official added.  Last year, traditional skills of silk spinning and keeping silk cocoons were collectively inscribed on the national heritage list. For more than three millennia, silk thread produced in Iran has been used to make clothing fabric and for weaving Persian rugs and there are silk makers in Gilan, who still practice the trade their ancestors did some 3,000 years ago.ABU/AFM