Heritage pearling books needed for UAE schools

Culture establishments in the UAE need to introduce books to local schools about pre-oil pearling in the country to educate students about their nation’s history and culture, the Minister of Heritage and Culture has said.

Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais said pearling in the Emirates before oil was struck nearly half a century ago had provided a key source of living to the native people and turned the country into a major trading hub for pearl.

Addressing an international pearl conference in the capital on Sunday, Owais paid tributes to the UAE’s Pearling Reviving Committee, which he said has contributed to the revival of the country’s pre-oil heritage.

“The committee is today requested to work on linking the present generation with the pre-oil pearling generation by issuing simplified books and other publications for schools to educate students about the pearling story, and the history of their fathers and grandfathers delving into the sea in search of pearl.”

The UAE and other Gulf oil producers have created groups to revive pearling by sending sea expeditions to dive for pearl. Many ships set off from Delma and other UAE islands once every year to hunt for pearl in a bid to revive the past and keep the memory of old Emirati pearl hunters alive.

Regional countries had heavily relied on pearling as a source of living before oil was discovered in the first half of the 20th century.

Old commercial pearling expeditions, which used to last several months, have now stopped but many government and private institutions in the region are still sponsoring such trips with the aim of reviving their ancestors’ heritage.

Armed with primitive equipment, old Gulf divers used to set out on long, perilous pearling journeys which would last at least three months. Many people died trying to hunt for pearls without proper diving equipment and when they returned, most of the catch was to be swapped for simple items such as rice, bread, spices and other foodstuffs supplied by visiting Indian vessels.

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