Pearl Diving History in the Gulf

Gulf pearls were traded as far back as the Dilmun civilization, more than 4,000 years ago, and by the early 20th century the pearl banks of the Gulf supplied much of the world's natural pearls. Whole towns lived by the season: each summer, fleets of wooden dhows sailed for months to the oyster beds, and merchants in Manama, Muharraq, Dubai, Doha and Kuwait sold the harvest to buyers from Bombay, Paris and New York.

Life aboard was demanding. The ghais, or diver, wore a nose clip of turtle shell and leather finger guards, and was lowered by a stone weight; the saib on deck hauled him up when he tugged the rope. A nahham sang work songs to keep the crew's spirits up, a musical tradition still performed today. The industry declined in the 1930s as Japanese cultured pearls reached the market, just as oil was found, opening a new chapter for the Gulf.

Natural Gulf pearls remain prized by collectors, and Bahrain's gem laboratory is respected for its testing. In Bahrain, licensed visitors can even dive for pearls themselves and keep what they find. For a modern piece, our jewelers and watchmakers page lists houses known for pearls, and our trade routes page tells the story of the dhow and monsoon trade.

The values of the pearling age, endurance, teamwork and trading savvy, are often cited by Gulf families as the foundation of their modern success. Pearl motifs appear in architecture, from Doha's island of The Pearl-Qatar to the Pearling Path visitor center in Muharraq. National days and heritage festivals still feature dhow races and sea shanties, and wealthy families treasure heirloom pearl necklaces passed down through generations. It is a story every visitor to the Gulf coast will meet sooner or later.