Pearling |
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Already thousands of years ago, pearls have been harvested in the waters of the Persian Gulf. For many centuries, the pearls retrieved by divers were the mainstay of Arab economy and many tribes based their existence around pearl diving. Pearls were used in jewellery, stitched onto dresses, crushed and applied in cosmetics and medicines. Pearls were an important measure of wealth and they were endowed with special powers. They were admired for their beauty, healing properties and spiritual powers. They were mentioned in the Qur’an as a price received in Heaven, and in the New Testament of the Bible, they were compared to Heaven itself.
The main diving season was during the summer months, and lasted around one hundred days. It was the time when the sea was calmer, thus ideal for deeper diving. The life of a diver was not an easy one. Most of the dives took place in waters of between 10-20m deep. Divers made up to 100 dives a day, thus it was extremely dangerous and unhealthy profession. Diver’s only equipment was a nose clip to prevent water from entering the nose, a cotton suit to protect the skin against jellyfish, and leather finger cops to avoid cuts from shells. He used a heavy stone or weight to go down and to keep him near the boat. Collected oysters were put in basket that was hanging around his neck. The baskets were also attached by a rope to a deck, and if a diver wanted to be hauled, he just had to signal it to the crew by pulling the rope. A musician (nahham) also took part in pearling expeditions. He accompanied divers as they worked with rhythmic chants and drums beats.
Pearling changed a social pattern of the communities. Many families moved to one of the coastal settlements, including Ras Al Khaimah, where population increased over time. While the men participated in pearling expeditions during summer months, the women had to take care not only of children but also of date palm gardens and camels.
The pearling industry went into a decline in the 1930s with the advent of the cultured pearls from Japan that was compounded by the Great Depression.
In recent years, a small cultured pearl farm has been established in Rams. For more visit www.rakpearls.com |
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