A UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
In 2011, the UNESCO has inscribed the Iranian skills of “building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats” as an intangible cultural heritage. This is meant to preserve these skills, which are traditionally passed from father to son, and are slowly fading away. Not only the construction skills themselves are considered as an intangible world heritage, but also the whole traditional knowledge around lenjes, both during the construction and the sailing.
That includes the navigation techniques and its terminology. Indeed, there is a very specific knowledge possessed by the captains of these vessels, called Nakhoda, to be able to navigate based on the position of the sun during the day, and of the moon and the stars at night. Furthermore, there is an extended knowledge of weather forecasting, based on the observation of the winds (each of them having their own name), the color of the water, and the height of the waves, that is unique.

Determining the location of the lenj on the sea, using this device. Nowadays this device is no longer used. Photo by: Abdolhoseyn Rezvani
Besides navigation skills, the whole folklore and traditions around lenj boats is included in this intangible world heritage. This comprises oral literature about lenjes and trips in the Persian Gulf, as well as festivals performed, for instance, when a lenj boat is for the first time set at the sea. Music also has an important part, as specific songs and rhythms are used both during the construction of the boat by the builders, and during the navigation by the sailormen.
It is all these aspects that the inscription at the UNESCO tends to preserve, as it is gradually disappearing with old knowledgeable people are passing away. Furthermore, wooden lenjes are slowly replaced by fiberglass, a cheaper but weaker material, and most of the construction workshops have been turned into repair shops these recent years.
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