How pearl diving shaped UAE's economy before oil

HOUSE OF PEARLS BY SUWAIDI PEARLS CELEBRATES A RICH ENDURING LEGACY

- BY LAKSHANA PALAT

Pearls are said to form when raindrops laced with moonlight fall into the sea and are swallowed by oysters.

It doesn't matter if it's true or not; it just conveys the weight and power of pearls, transcending time for over centuries.

It's a sign of unity, says Abdulla Rashed Al Suwaidi, founder of Suwaidi Pearls, the world's only Arabian pearl farm. "It has a precious position, and it can unify us."

After visiting House of Pearls by Suwaidi Pearls, tucked away in Al Rams, at the foot of the Al Hajar Mountains in Ras Al Khaimah, you begin to breathe in the history of it all on the floating pearl farm.

You hear the stories of pearl divers from over hundreds of years ago, and relive those moments from their lives, a world where GPS, Google Maps and other paraphernalia didn't exist — just actual maps.

Stepping back in time

On the guided tour, we step back in time to an era when the Arabian Gulf was known for one thing: Pearls. For the unversed, the pearling industry brought prosperity to the UAE from the late 19th century to the early 20th century and was built on a foundation of skilled craftsmanship, from shipbuilding to navigation.

At the heart of it all was the most demanding task: The pearl diving voyage, a gruelling four-month expedition that took place each summer.

As Al Suwaidi says, before the oil boom, it was all pearls. That's what Arabia was known for. The earliest mention in historical records dates to 1590 AD, courtesy of Gasparo Balbi, a Venetian jeweller, merchant, and traveller. He mentioned 'Dibai,' as a place known for the best and most beautiful pearls.

In Ibn Battuta's words...