Reviving a millennia-old tradition — World Points

“I at all times say that each one Bahrainis have pearl diving of their blood,” Mohamed Alslaise, a pearl diver and area 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 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 not directly to the pearl diving trade.

Pearling within the Persian Gulf formed Bahrain’s economic system for 1000’s of years however, following a peak across the flip of the twentieth century, the perfection of cultured pearls by Japan within the Thirties triggered 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 executed within the previous approach.

“These days, bigger portions are extracted attributable to developments in know-how, permitting divers to remain underwater for longer intervals. Previously, a diver would keep underwater for 4 minutes, however now scuba divers can stay underwater for an hour or extra.”

On account 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 forms of pearls: artificial, cultured, and pure, including that “distinguishing between these sorts requires expertise and fashionable tools.”

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 forms of ships, various by design, however now smaller ships are used for pearling attributable to 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.

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 had been initially sung to spice up morale on the boats.”

Bahrain’s historic pearling website, generally known as the Pearling Path, has been inscribed as a World Heritage Web site by the United Nations Instructional, Scientific, and Cultural Group (UNESCO). The positioning testifies to the pearling custom and the wealth it generated within the Gulf area for millennia.

In keeping 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 retailers, storehouses, a mosque, and the houses of rich retailers within the space. In keeping 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 surroundings, which formed each the economic system and cultural id of the island’s society.

Pearling is again

“I’m one of many individuals who fell in love with pearl diving with none steering from my dad and mom 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 keeping 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 are actually registered and dive repeatedly to create an revenue for themselves.”