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The gulf countries of today are synonymous with Oil. But before the 1930’s, they were known for producing the most beautiful and bountiful Pearls in the world. It was the main source of pearls on the global market, followed by the pearling sites in the Gulf of Mannar in coastal India & Sri Lanka and the banks of Dahkla and Farasan in Eritrea and Yemen respectively.
While fishing and agriculture were important industries in the gulf area, the horse trade to India, but especially pearling was the only creator of true wealth in coastal gulf Arabia. Bahrain, the Trucial States (today the United Arab Emirates) and Persia were the main centers of pearling. Especially Bahrain have a long history of pearling and also access to some of the best pearling banks in the gulf (1).
It is estimated that 50% of all males on the Arabian side of the gulf were engaged in the pearl industry in some fashion. The areas of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Umm al-Qaiwan (UAQ), Ajman and Qatar were fully dependent of pearl diving in the early 1900’s – While Kuwait, Sharjah and Bahrain were heavily dependent on it. Despite Bahrain being the location with most pearl divers and fishermen, it was one of the few diversified coastal locations in the Gulf – being not solely dependent on pearls for its survival (2).
“When about to proceed to business, they divide themselves into two parties, one of which remains in the boat to haul up the others, who are engaged in diving. The latter, having provided themselves with a small basket, jump overboard, and place their feet on a stone, to which a line is attached. Upon a given signal this is let go, and they sink with it to the bottom. When the oysters are thickly clustered, eight or ten may be procured at each descent ; the line is then jerked, and the person stationed in the boat hauls the diver up with as much rapidity as possible. The period during which they can remain under water has been much over-rated ; one minute is the average, and I never knew them but on one occasion, to exceed a minute and a half.” – Lieutenant J. R. Wellsted (1838)
Map sources:
J.G. Lorimer (1915)
Sheikh Mani (1940)
Chhaya Goswami (2010)
Stuart George Knox (1906)
Text sources:
(1) Lorimer’s Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia (1873-1904)
(2) Internetstones.com