The ancient traditional construction of the Iranian boat Lenj in the Persian Gulf

Posted in 2011 in the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Iranian Lenj boats are traditionally built by hand and are used by the inhabitants of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf for sea travel, trade, fishing and pearl harvesting. The tradition surrounding the Lenj obstruction includes oral literature, performing arts and festivals, as well as navigation techniques, terminology and weather forecasting that are closely associated with sailing and the skills of building wooden boats themselves. The navigation technique used to navigate Lenj was traditionally passed down from father to son. The Iranian navigators could locate the ship based on the positions of the sun, moon and stars; Special formulas were used to calculate latitudes and longitudes, as well as the depth of the sea. Each wind was given a name, which along with the color of the water or the height of the waves was used to help predict the weather. Specific music and rhythms also formed inseparable parts of the tradition of sailing in the Persian Gulf, with sailors singing particular songs as they worked. Today the people who follow this tradition make up a small community made up mostly of the elderly. The wooden Lenj are replaced by cheaper fiberglass and the Lenj wooden building workshops are transformed into workshops for the repair of old Lenj. The philosophy, ritual tradition, culture and knowledge of Lenj construction are gradually fading away, although some of the associated ceremonies continue to be practiced in some places.