Safeguarding the Traditional Shipbuilding and Sailing Heritage of Qeshm Island
Preserving a Fading Legacy
The Sandbad Boom Project is a community-driven initiative rooted in the JICA-funded Qeshm Eco-Island pilot projects. We are dedicated to preserving the traditional skills of building and sailing wooden vessels at the Guran Open-Air Museum—a living maritime tradition proudly recognized on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Between 2015 and 2018, as part of the nine pilot projects under the JICA Qeshm Eco-Island framework, our team worked alongside local authorities and craftsmen to establish the Guran Open-Air Museum. The mission was urgent: to revitalize the fading engineering skills of traditional wooden shipbuilding and indigenous sailing techniques in Iran and neighboring Persian Gulf countries.
The Sandbad Boom project emerged as a specialized effort within this vision, utilizing community-based tourism and heritage-led planning to empower local communities and safeguard a unique maritime culture.
A Collaborative Effort
This project was brought to life by an incredible team of passionate volunteers, local craftsmen, and international experts who dedicated their time to mapping, designing, and documenting this maritime legacy.
While active development on the Sandbad website and physical site is currently paused, the vision remains fully alive. This page serves as a living archive and a quick snapshot of what we achieved—and a testament to the enduring importance of protecting our shared cultural landscapes.
