Elements
Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf
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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000113 Country Iran ICH Domain Oral traditions and representations Performing Arts Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills Address Iranian provinces of Bushehr, Hormozgān and Khuzestān, (including Iranian Islands; Abu-Musā (=Gap-sabzu), Hengām, Hormoz, Khārk, Kish, Lārak, Qeshm, Tonb-e-Bozorg, Tonb-e-Kuchak, and the Iranian ports of Ābādān, Bandar-e-Abbās, Bandar-e-Busher, Bandar-e-Dayyer, Bandar-e-Deylam, Bandar-e-Emām-Khomeyni, Bandar-e-Genāveh, Bandar-e-Khamir, Bandar-e-Khorramshahr, Bandar-e-Lenge, Bandar-e-Māh-shahr, Bandar-e-Tāheri (=Sirāf) (The geographical location and range encompasses the Iranian provinces, Islands, cities, ports, as well as the national waters between 25º up to 27º latitude and 48º to 58º longitude)
| Description | a) Traditional handicraft techniques The old art of manufacturing the traditional Iranian floating vessel, called Lenj, has remained relatively unchanged. Lenjes are, mostly, made for their large cargo capacity. The Lenj-Bum was, once, the best ship for the Iranian sailors and navigators. Even now, it is still competing with rivals. But the gradual decrease in the number of the long voyages is limiting the popularity of the vessel. Lenj-Bum is capable of tolerating the storms. Originally, Lenjes were used in commercial travels to distant destinations, including India and Africa. Lenjes are composed of various parts, each made of special types of wood, depending on their function. Contemporarily, Lenjes are used, solely, for short journeys, fishing and pearl hunting. Older Lenjes were capable of travelling for, even, one year. The Persian sailors used to launch their commercial ships from the three ports of Loft, Kong and Lian, in Bushehr. The marine routes were, however, more varified, and would include travels to Basra in Iraq, or to the southern coasts of the Persian Gulf. Their main trades included dates, wood of Chandal, pottery, coconut and fruits. b) Knowledge and practices concerning the nature and the universe Before the introduction into the tradition of modern positioning systems, Iranian navigators could locate the ship according to the positions of the sun, the moon and the stars. An individual, called Moallem (“teacher; guide”), was responsible for the positioning jobs on the Lenj. Looking at the sun and the stars with his means, including the Persian astrolabe and sextant, at 6 AM and 6 PM, he could locate the Lenj on the sea. Navigation at night was the captain’s duty. He would order a Sokkāni (“helmsman”) to lead the ship into the direction of a specified star till the moment of sunrise. Compasses brougth more convenience for the navigators. They could define the routes more delicately, by utilizing a combination of astronomy and the newly introduced compass technology. The sailors started to record the stars’ specifications on the compasses. Using this combined method, they would define the route at night. The number of stars used as reference points was 17; they would be repeated in both northern abd southen directions round the compasses. The navigational knowledge and legacy is still passed on from fathers to sons. The Iranian navigators also had special formulae to measure the latitudes and longitudes, as well as the water depth. Sailors needed the wind in favour in their travels to the south; they would arrange for their voyages according to the seasonal winds that would blow every 6 months from north to south. They also attended to the particular winds of Persian Gulf to find a forecast for weather. Each wind had a native regional name. Knowing the wind route was not enough to trace the time of a pending storm; they also attended to the color of waters, the wave heights, or the nature of the blowing wind. c and d) Performing arts, Social practices and festivity events The majority of the Iranian inhabitants of the region earn their livelihood from the sea; consequently, the Persian Gulf continues to receive their respect. A number of traditional ceremonies and customs about Lenjes and the sea show their rooted symbiosis with nature. Nowruz-e-Sāyyad (Fisherman’s New Year) is one example. The celebration occurs late in the month of Tir (June 22nd), as a surviving traditional ceremony from the distant years. No fishing, no trades, and no sea journeys are allowed on this day. In the morning, the children colour animal foreheads, with red clay; and by sunset, all villagers gather on the seashore to play music or perform the proceedings of Shushî, an old traditional performing art, showing the sailors’ respect for the nature. Some people wear special clothes and masks, and try to represent sea-gulls. When the native music band plays Rezif (the sailors’ traditional music), suddenly, a number of men with fearful appearances come out of the sea, and pretend to attack the people. They are Shushi’s, the old demons who were asleep, and now the new years’ eve has awakend them. Interestingly, the people enter dialogues with these demons, and encourage them to join in the feast. Bādebān-Keshi (“setting the sail”) is another surviving ceremony. Long ago, when the ships were about to leave for long voyages, by the time the sailors were setting the sails, the music would accompany from the shore. The sailor’s families would bid farewell. Specific music and rhythms constitute inseparable parts of sailing on the Persian Gulf. In the past, the sailors sang special songs while they were working. In Hormozgan province, three such musical traditions are, still, attended by the locals: Livā, Rezif and Azvā. The singers describe a marine travel in their songs. Traditional bagpipes, named Neyanbān, accompany. The ritualistic performances are reminiscent of the jobs on the Lenjes. The movements resemble hoisting the ropes, rowing, holding in the fishing nets, and also separating and classifying the fish. e) Oral traditions and expressions, including languages as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage There are traditional sailing terminologies, stories and poems (Sharve) related to the nominated element in modern Iranian languages and dialects of the region. These linguistic varieties are representable as: 1.Lārestanî :(Aradi,Evazi,Bastaki,Banāruye-yi,Bikhe-yi,Khonji,Fedāghi,Fishvari,Gerāshi and Lāri) 2.Bashākerdî/Bashkardî :(Bandar-Abbāsi,Rudāni,Minābi and Hormozi) 3.Kumzārî :(Lāraki, …) |
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| Social and cultural significance | The inhabitants of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf make use of a local traditional knowledge, related to nature, to make their living. They build Lenj, a handmade vessel, for their sea journeys, trading, fishing and pearl hunting. The Iranian traditional knowledge of sailing includes many techniques, including Lenj building and launching, as well as navigating, among others. It includes specific traditional customs and oral literature, manifesting, for instance, as Rezif-khānî, Azva, Lîva and Nowruz-e-Sayyād. Finally, there are poems, navigational jargon in vernacular, and guide books (Rāhnāme’s). The element manifests as: - Knowledge and practices concerning the nature and the universe: weather forecasting (by studying the cloulds, the waves, the winds, the color of water and the behaviour of the sea-gulls), Lenj navigation (by studying the sun, the moon and the stars, calculating latitude and longitude, and using astrolabe, sextant and traditional compass) - Traditional handicraft techniques: Lenj-sazi (=Lenj building) - Performing arts: music, poetry, singing, dance: Rezif, Lîvā, Azvā and Sharve - Social practices and festivity events: Nowruz-e-Sayyād (fisherman’s New Year), Shushî, Bādebān-keshi (setting the sail) - Specific oral traditions and expressions, including the traditional sailing terminology, stories and poetries, in the Iranian languages and dialects of the region. |
| Transmission method | The youth is still being trained by experienced captains, and the training method continues to be oral. The navigational knowledge and legacy is still passed on from fathers to sons. Although Lenj-Bum is still uncompetitive, it is being gradually laid aside, since navigators take no more long voyages. Once designed for distant voyages in severe sea conditions, the Lenjes of modern times are mostly suitable for short journeys or fishing, due to the drastic change in the market demand. This means the gradual abandonment of a major part of the tradition among younger generations. -The youth is still being trained. However, as the traditional compass is gradually being replaced by GPS, the younger generation prefers to work with modern tools. This, too, threatens part of the tradition. -Although the old captains, sailors and fishermen, still, attend to their traditional knowledge on particular winds, the color of water, or the wave heights to forecast the weather, the broadcasted port administration official declarations, nowadays, constitute a major rival to this part of the tradition. As for the particular rituals, festive events or traditions, the following are worth mentioning: -Nowruz-e-Sayyād (Fisherman’s new year), once a popular ceremony of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf in Bushehr, Hormozgan and Khuzestan provinces, is, nowadays, only celebrated in Salakh village, on Qeshm Island. -The old ceremony of Bādebān-Keshi (setting the sail) is another endangered sailing ceremony, Nowadays, being just supported by the Loft city council on the Isle of Qeshm. No more long voyages by traditional vessels, and the tradition is performed only symbollically on the coast, six times a year, by a group of 40 practitioners. There is no one else but these 40 men who take part in the tradition. -In Hormozgān province three musical traditions are still distinguishable: Livā, Rezif and Azvā. The ritual consists of songs on marine travels, accompanied by the traditional bagpipe, named Neyanbān. And these three songs are not available in their complete forms. -Most of the people who celebrate such sailing ceremonies are not well aware of the philosophy and the history behind them. -The few conferences and research projects on the subject are still, mainly, restricted to the academia, and have not found proper places among the public. Due to the drastic change in the taste of the people of the region, and the severe conditions in which the element is to compete with other chances of promoting a favorable living among the practitioners at various levels, everyday, more and more people leave their traditional jobs, and are attracted by other job opportunities. Presently, the community of the practitioners of the various aspects of the element is small in size, and is composed, mainly, of older people. As for the bearers of the knowledge (of Lenj building or navigation), they must be claimed to be, totally, old people who see few among their offsprings who show the interest to follow their parents. For the time being, wooden Lenjes are continually being replaced by fiberglass substitutes. The latter are cheaper, and the related construction process is not time-consuming. Consequently, the fiberglass workshops are increasing in number, and the wooden Lenj construction workshops are gradually being transformed into repair shops for the older Lenjes. Traditionally managed Lenj-construction workshops are very few nowadays. Presently, only the Pey-posht village on the Isle of Qeshm constitutes the base for the most skillful wooden Lenj builders. The demand for wooden Lenjes is low. Consequently, the traditional knowledge pertaining to this craft is fading rapidly. Lenj-builders have no guild or union to reclaim their requests and solve their problems. They work only 10 days per month. The low salary forces them to give up the craft. The financial aids, loans and insurances are not adequate and sufficient. And there is no motivation for young generations to learn and continue the jobs related to this traditional knowledge. This knowledge is still faced with certain problems in the modern academia: the syllabus disregards the traditional methods of training, sailing and navigation, in favor of westernized methods. Once a unique whole, the element is, nowadays, divided into several parts practiced by different groups of practitioners. These groups are, nowadays, totally, ignorant about one another: ship builders are not aware of the philosophy, the ritualistic background, and the complete form of the traditional knowledge of sailing in the Persian Gulf. As a result, their practice has changed into a uni-dimensional phenomenon, which lacks its full strength, due to the fact that it has lost its supporting aspects. No doubt, the disappearance of the traditional Lenjes, shall push forward negligence regarding the related traditional handicrafts, the once alive working rituals, traditions, customs and on the whole, the traditional knowledge of sailing in the region. And if it disappears, the world’s repertory of Intangible cultural Heritage shall no doubt experience a major loss. |
| Community | a- Representative Practitioners and Bearers: Qeshm Lenj-builders, Kong Lenj-owners, Bushehr Province sailors, Hormozgān Province sailors, Khuzestān Province Sailors, communities of the sailors of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, Communities of the sailors of the Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf coast, Ebrahimi Family Memorial House (Kong), Nākhoda (Captain) Saffari. b- Representative Governmental Organizations: Loft City Council, Bushehr City Council, Qeshm free zone, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Bushehr, Hormozgān and Khuzestān Provinces, Bushehr Navigational Museum, Hormozgan Studies Foundation. |
| Type of UNESCO List | List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2011 |