Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf
Photo by SJ Travel Photo and Video / Shutterstock

According to the archeological excavations in the ruins of the ancient Siraf port on the north shore of the Persian Gulf in Bushehr Province, marine trade and the related businesses were popular in Iran since the Sassanid Empire (224-651 C.E). Today also in this region, the life, identity, and culture of the inhabitants are interwoven directly with the sea. For example, one of the local authentic arts indicating this relationship is Lenj making. Lenj, a traditional wooden hand-made type of boat, is the main tool for local villagers for various purposes such as fishing and transportation depending on its size. Lenj is not a mere vehicle of transportation for the local inhabitants; rather it is a handicraft indicating the culture and the way of life.

The methods and skills of Lenj making are usually taught by the son from father in a traditional way. They are built mentally without a predetermined written design and map, each takes around two years to be built. Furthermore, what makes it more interesting is that sailors and workers sing special local sons collectively at work during the construction of Lenjes. There are more than 10 types of Lenj, of which the most common ones include Baghaleh, Boom, Sambook, Jalboot, Tashaleh, Boozi, Tartary, and Sammach.

Lenj is not a mere vehicle of transportation for inhabitants; rather it is a handicraft indicating the culture and the way of life in the region.

The main material used in Lenj making is solid teak wood that is resistant against water. When the main structure and framework of a Lenj is built, the rifts and spaces between the wood planks are filled with cotton wicks (known as Kalfat Kooby in the local language) that are soaked before in sesame oil. Finally, the whole outside hull of Lenj will be covered with sesame oil in order to increase its resistance to salt and moisture.

Sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf
Photo by Gone For A Drive / Shutterstock

Releasing a Lenj to the sea has its special ceremony. Inhabitants of the village where the Lenj is built gather and the clergy reads the holy Quran and blesses the Lenj with the name of God. Then, the owner of the Lenj, who usually is its captain as well, sacrifices an animal (camel, cow, or sheep depending on the financial affordability), in order to prepare a meal with its meat for the villagers. After the sacrifice, the community starts moving the Lenj to the sea using a tool named Dowvar. It is a wheel with long sticks attached to it with two pulleys.

A thick and rigid rope is fastened around the Lenj, passed from the pulleys, and tightened around the cylinder of the Dowvar. Depending on the size of the Lenj, a certain number of men take the sticks of the Dowvar and begin turning them while singing rhythmic songs. To ease the movement, clogs of wood covered in animal fat are placed in front of the Lenj and the back part of the Lenj is covered with palm leaves. The arrival of Lenj at the sea is accompanied by cheers and feasts.

Today, Lenj making is rare in Iran mostly in use still by a few numbers of old generations as cheaper fiberglass boats have taken the role of this handicraft. This art under the title of “traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf” was registered by UNESCO as an Intangible World Heritage in 2011.

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It contains 13 counties with Bandar Abbas as its center and different ethnic groups who mostly speak Farsi (with Bandari dialect) and Arabic (in some regions). In terms of climate, Hormozgan province is generally one of the hot and dry regions of Iran, while its coastal strip is specifically hot and humid in summer.

n ancient times, some tribes lived on the western coasts of the Persian Gulf and southwestern plains of Iran. According to the archeological evidence, sailing was prevailing in the region at that time, for example, when the land of Babylonians was occupied through sailing in the Persian Gulf in the 7th century B.C. The earliest historical sources indicating sailing in the Persian Gulf date back to the time of Nearchus or Neerak (360-330 B.C.), one of the admirals of Macedonia. In the aftermath of the invasion of Arab to Iran, the Persian Gulf coasts came under the rule of Umayyad (661-750) and Abbasid (750-1258) caliphates, respectively.

Marco Polo, a famous Italian merchant globetrotter visited the port of Hormuz, about which he noted that jewels of Iran, tusk, and silk of India and China and the Bahraini pearl were traded at this port. Afonso de Albuquerque surrounded the Hormuz Island with seven warships in the seventh year of Shah Isma’il Safavid reign. During the reign of Shah Abbas Safavid, Imam-Quli Khan, the governor of Fars and Qeshm, recaptured Hormuz and the southern ports from Portuguese.

Later, Shah Abbas formed an alliance with Britain and completely eradicated the Portuguese’s influence from the Persian Gulf, leading to the substitution of “Bandar Abbas” for Gamrun as the name of the port. In the First World War, coincided with the late Qajar dynasty (1796-1925), important events happened in the Persian Gulf region and coast which increased the power of Britain there.

Hormozgan weather is mild in fall and winter, providing the best opportunity to attract tourists to the region from different parts of the country. A part of the exquisite attractions of the province includes beautiful beaches, free-trade zones, Qeshm Portuguese Castle, Greek Ship, traditional water reservoirs in the Kish Island, Naaz islands, Mangrove forests, the Stars Valley at Qeshm Island, and dolphins of Hengam Island. It should be noted that UNESCO World Geoparks Network registered Qeshm Geopark in April 2016.

The prevailing handicrafts of the province are basket and mat weaving, Golabatoon-Doozi (a form of embroidery), Chadorshab-Doozi, Badeleh-Doozi (a form of embroidery), Khos-Doozi (a form of embroidery), rope making, Shak-Bafi (a form of embroidery), Ur-Bafi (a form of embroidery), Garegor-Bafi (a form of the fishing net), Burqa-Sazi (a form of face cover), Lachak-Sazi (a form of head cover), backrest cover, Zar-Doozi (embroidery with gold), and Kaman-Doozi (a form of embroidery).

The most common eatable souvenirs of the province include a variety of dates, marine handicrafts, fish and shrimp, sea shellfish, and aquarium fish. Most of Hormozgan’s native foods are made of a mixture of fish and various aquatic species such as shrimp and lobster, along with dates, rice, and spices. Of the most famous local foods, we mention to Cutlet of fish, Qaliye-Mahi (fish stew), Hawari Mahi (rice and fish), Katogh Shur of Onion, Havari Margieh, Hawri-Chekomig (rice and shrimp), Ancas (Squid), Disho Rice, Meloc (Long shell), Kufteh-Mahi of Moumeq, and Cingo dish.

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