“I at all times say that each one Bahrainis have pearl diving of their blood,” Mohamed Alslaise, a pearl diver and subject 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 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 in a roundabout way to the pearl diving business.

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 prompted a pointy and devastating decline within the business.

Khaled Salman, a diver because the Seventies, explains that whereas diving continues, it’s not performed within the outdated manner.

“These days, bigger portions are extracted on account 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.”

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 exterior Bahrain. He additionally highlights three sorts 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 business. Abdulla, a designer of wood ships and boats for over 35 years, shares his perspective: “Bahrain is legendary for its shipbuilding business, which was integral to pearling. There are a number of sorts of ships, various by design, however now smaller ships are used for pearling on account 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.

Folklore, songs and custom

“Most Bahraini traditions are linked to the pearl diving business. 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 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 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 properties 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 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.

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 technology earlier than us was not allowed to dive after they have been younger as a result of, after oil was found, all the roles shifted to the oil business.”

In keeping 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 repeatedly to create an earnings for themselves.”