Captains of Ancient Routes

• Photographer
  Bardia Kabirifar
• Photo Date
  October 2023

This work reports one of the Iranian intangible cultural heritages in need of urgent safeguarding. The essay narrates the story of traditional wooden boats (Lenj in Farsi),their current state and usage, the stories of senior and junior captains, and the state of Lenj construction industry in the northern coast of the Persian Gulf: "Since the time of Sindbad the Sailor, seamen have coursed the Indian Ocean waters on their Lenjs trading between the Persian Gulf, India, and Africa. Today, Lenjs are being pushed off from their ancient routes putting the invaluable traditional knowledge in danger."