“I all the time 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 Gems (DANAT) tells UN Information. “Virtually all of the households that moved from the Arabian Gulf or Iranian coast to Bahrain have been divers.”
Mr. Alslaise is keen about 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 ultimately 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 Thirties brought on a pointy and devastating decline within the trade.
Khaled Salman, a diver because the Seventies, explains that whereas diving continues, it’s now not finished within the previous means.
Bahraini diver, Mohamed Alslaise extracting pearls from oysters.
“These days, bigger portions are extracted as a result of developments in expertise, permitting divers to remain underwater for longer durations. Previously, a diver would keep underwater for 4 minutes, however now scuba divers can stay underwater for an hour or extra.”
Resulting from 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 forms of pearls: artificial, cultured, and pure, including that “distinguishing between these sorts requires expertise and trendy 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 legendary for its shipbuilding trade, which was integral to pearling. There are a number of forms 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.
Abdulla, a designer of picket ships and boats for over 35 years.
Folklore, songs and custom
“Most Bahraini traditions are related to the pearl diving trade. As an 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 have been initially sung to spice up morale on the boats.”
Bahrain’s historic pearling web site, generally known as the Pearling Path, has been inscribed as a World Heritage Website by the United Nations Instructional, 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 world 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 situation is the one full instance of the pearling cultural custom and the wealth it produced throughout the interval when the Gulf economic system was dominated by commerce from the second century till Japan developed cultured pearls.
It additionally constitutes an excellent instance of conventional utilization of the ocean’s assets and human interplay with the atmosphere, which formed each the economic system and cultural identification of the island’s society.
A band performing a pearl diving tune 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 steering from my mother and father or household,” Mr. Alslaise. “The technology earlier than us was not allowed to dive once they have 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 data 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 repeatedly to create an revenue for themselves.”
