Qatar Revives Age-Old Tradition of Freshwater Pearl Diving

Freshwater pearl diving was the main income generator for most Qatari before the discovery of oil deposits in the country. Today, Qatar, undoubtedly is the richest Middle Eastern country, with the densest concentration of millionaires in that side of the world.

While pearl diving was extremely difficult and hazardous, the waters near Qatar were a rich source of freshwater pearls and the industry thrived, and the pearls from Qatar were in high demand. That was before Japan began to market their cultured pearls early in the 1930s which brought down the pearl industry in Qatar. Still the country bounced back with the discovery of oil in 1939.

Tradition of Freshwater Pearl Diving in Qatar

The traditional heritage is being revived today through the Qatar Marine Festival, to encourage tourism as well as to teach the younger generation the hardships suffered by their ancestors. The festival holds a 3-day pearl diving competition among other activities. In the early days, Qatari pearl divers went out twice a year for a 6-month long dive and a 2-month short dive. They had to live in the dhows (pearl diving boats) for the duration of the dive, using salt water for all their daily water needs and eating whatever fish they could catch. They had to avoid sharks and barracudas while diving at least 100 times a day to gather pearl oysters from the seabed 200 feet below. Their ancient pearl-diving methods took a heavy toll on the divers, with only nose clips, hand protectors and weight tied to their ankles as their diving equipment.

The Baroda Pearl Carpet

One of the best examples of the beautiful freshwater pearls harvested in the waters near Qatar is the Pearl Carpet of Baroda. The Maharaja of Baroda in India, Gaekwar Khande Rao commissioned the creation of the Pearl Carpet in 1865. It was sewn on deer hide and silk. The 8 feet 8 inches long by 5 feet 8 inches wide carpet was sold at a Sotheby’s (Doha) auction on March 9, 2009 for a whooping US$5.5 million. The rare object is fully encrusted with one and a half million Basra seed pearls, the famous freshwater pearls that were harvested in Qatar and Bahrain, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies and gold. The vine and flower design of the carpet is a traditional Mughal period design. It was said that the carpet was intended to be laid on the tomb of Mohammed located in Medina.

The Basra Pearl

The exquisite Basra Pearl got its name from the trading center where the pearls harvested in the Persian Gulf regions were traded. Basra pearls only come from one type of pearl oyster, the Pinctada radiata, although some could be found in Pinctada margaritifera. These pearls have been harvested since 300 BC. The natural pearls have a distinct yellowish and pinkish tint and irregular shape. The rarest and most precious are those that are silvery white and spherical in shape.

The Kingdom of Bahrain, the only country that bans the import and trading of cultured pearls, issues certificates for genuine Basra pearls.