Dubai The Arabian Gulf overwhelmingly relied on pearl fishing during the early years of the 20th century. It was 7,000 years ago when the first pearl was found in Kuwait.
Ironically, the industry died with the closure of Kuwait’s pearl-oyster market in 2000, thanks to the development of Japan’s cultured pearl industry.
Added to that, after the discovery of oil, diving for pearls as an industry was left behind.
Historically, the best natural pearls come from the Arabian Gulf, particularly Bahrain. The pearls from this region have an exceptional sheen thanks to the mixture of salty and sweet waters in the Gulf.
However, over the past few years, several Gulf countries have been trying to revive the tradition. Bahrain has now prohibited the import of farmed pearls and lodged an appeal at Unesco for pearl diving to be protected.
Qatar celebrates this activity during a special cultural week every year, while Kuwait organises the Pearl Diving Festival, which aims to recreate the traditional pearl divers routes.
Pearl-diving trips are held annually under the patronage of the Kuwaiti Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah in order to keep traditions alive.
In the UAE, pearl diving is no longer a profession, but people still go diving as a hobby. There is still trade in natural pearls, but mostly at international auctions, as they are very rare.
