“I at all times say that each one Bahrainis have pearl diving of their blood,” Mohamed Alslaise, a pearl diver and discipline researcher for the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gem stones (DANAT) tells UN Information. “Nearly all of the households that moved from the Arabian Gulf or Iranian coast to Bahrain had been divers.”
Mr. Alslaise is captivated with preserving and reviving this age-old custom, notes that many households within the Gulf nation have a member who was both a pearl diver or contributed indirectly to the pearl diving trade.
Pearling within the Persian Gulf formed Bahrain’s economic system for hundreds of years however, following a peak across the flip of the twentieth century, the perfection of cultured pearls by Japan within the Nineteen Thirties precipitated a pointy and devastating decline within the trade.
Khaled Salman, a diver for the reason that Nineteen Seventies, explains that whereas diving continues, it’s not finished within the outdated means.
UN Video/Hisae Kawamori
Bahraini diver, Mohamed Alslaise extracting pearls from oysters.
“These days, bigger portions are extracted as a result of developments in know-how, permitting divers to remain underwater for longer intervals. Prior to now, a diver would keep underwater for 4 minutes, however now scuba divers can stay underwater for an hour or extra.”
As a result of decrease pearl costs, Salman notes, “Many individuals don’t promote the pearls they extract; they retailer them till costs rise after which promote them to merchants in Bahrain.”
Some pearls are utilized in native industries, whereas others are marketed outdoors Bahrain. He additionally highlights three varieties of pearls: artificial, cultured, and pure, including that “distinguishing between these sorts requires expertise and fashionable gear.”
The decline in pearling additionally affected Bahrain’s shipbuilding trade. Abdulla, a designer of picket ships and boats for over 35 years, shares his perspective: “Bahrain is known for its shipbuilding trade, which was integral to pearling. There are a number of varieties of ships, various by design, however now smaller ships are used for pearling as a result of decreased demand.”
The wooden for shipbuilding is imported from Africa and Singapore, and, says Abdulla, the lifespan of a ship can extends past 100 years.
UN Video/Hisae Kawamori
Abdulla, a designer of picket ships and boats for over 35 years.
Folklore, songs and custom
“Most Bahraini traditions are linked to the pearl diving trade. For example, the pearl diving songs,” says Mr. Alslaise. “The folklore of pearl diving has been handed down for generations. We nonetheless sing the identical songs, which had been initially sung to spice up morale on the boats.”
Bahrain’s historic pearling website, often known as the Pearling Path, has been inscribed as a World Heritage Web site by the United Nations Academic, Scientific, and Cultural Group (UNESCO). The location testifies to the pearling custom and the wealth it generated within the Gulf area for millennia.
In line with UNESCO, the realm consists of 17 buildings in Murharraq metropolis, three offshore oyster beds, a part of the seashore and the Qal’at Bu Mahir fortress on the southern tip of Muharraq Island, from the place boats used to set off for the oyster beds.
There are outlets, storehouses, a mosque, and the houses of rich retailers within the space. In line with UNESCO, the placement is the one full instance of the pearling cultural custom and the wealth it produced in the course of the interval when the Gulf economic system was dominated by commerce from the second century till Japan developed cultured pearls.
It additionally constitutes an impressive instance of conventional utilization of the ocean’s assets and human interplay with the setting, which formed each the economic system and cultural id of the island’s society.
UN Information/ Abdelmonem Makki
A band performing a pearl diving track in Bahrain. The folklore of pearl diving has been handed down for generations.
Pearling is again
“I’m one of many individuals who fell in love with pearl diving with none steerage from my mother and father or household,” Mr. Alslaise. “The era earlier than us was not allowed to dive after they had been younger as a result of, after oil was found, all the roles shifted to the oil trade.”
In line with Mr. Alslaise, since 2017, when Bahraini authorities launched pearl diving licenses, many individuals who signed up had no prior information of pearl diving.
“Now, seven years down the road, many Bahrainis have reconnected with this heritage. Over 1,000 divers at the moment are registered and dive usually to create an revenue for themselves.”
