A traditional wooden ship, or lenj, being restored on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Arabian Gulf. All photos: AFP
A traditional wooden ship, or lenj, being restored on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Arabian Gulf. All photos: AFP
Locals fear the wooden ships are being replaced by cheaper, faster boats.
Locals fear the wooden ships are being replaced by cheaper, faster boats.
The sturdy vessels, built by hand, have sailed Gulf waters for centuries
The sturdy vessels, built by hand, have sailed Gulf waters for centuries
The lenj is part of the maritime landscape of the Middle East
The lenj is part of the maritime landscape of the Middle East
Traditional wooden ships (lenj) are pictured on Iran's touristic Qeshm island in the Gulf, on April 29, 2023. From Muscat to Bandar Abbas via Dubai, the potbellied silhouette of the lenjs is part of the maritime landscape of the Middle East, just like that of the sailing dhows of the Arabian Peninsula. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Traditional wooden ships (lenj) are pictured on Iran's touristic Qeshm island in the Gulf, on April 29, 2023. From Muscat to Bandar Abbas via Dubai, the potbellied silhouette of the lenjs is part of the maritime landscape of the Middle East, just like that of the sailing dhows of the Arabian Peninsula. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
The small port is home to several shipyards specialising in their maintenance and repair
The small port is home to several shipyards specialising in their maintenance and repair
The disctinctively-shaped ships afloat in the Arabian Gulf
The disctinctively-shaped ships afloat in the Arabian Gulf
Inside one of the vessels
Inside one of the vessels
A half-built lenj propped on beams that will not be finished for lack of money
A half-built lenj propped on beams that will not be finished for lack of money
They are a draw for tourists to the island
They are a draw for tourists to the island
Each lenj is unique and the ships vary in size
Each lenj is unique and the ships vary in size

MENA

Traditional wooden ships restored on Iran's Qeshm Island - in pictures

The lenj is part of the maritime landscape of the Middle East, like the dhows of the Arabian Peninsula

The National

May 11, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

Drought forces rural Iraqis to move to crowded cities - in pictures

Tourists visit Qeshm island in Iran - in pictures

Designs for Dubai Reefs revealed - in pictures

Skateboarding dogs wow the crowds at Pet Expo Thailand - in pictures

Resourceful Gazans find work to overcome poverty - in pictures

Iraq's ancient pottery industry struggling in a modern era — in pictures

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Mobile phone packages comparison
Tomorrow 2021
On Women's Day
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

The Uefa Awards winners

Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)

Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League

Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)

Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)

Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona

More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

Results

2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m

Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m

Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.

3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m

Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.

4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m

Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m

Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m

Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.

Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier

UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs

Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)

1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0

Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am

Updated: May 11, 2023, 11:26 AM`