Question

Explain the deterioration of the pearl diving career in UAE.

Answer 1

Nasif Kayed is the managing director of the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. He was translating a lecture from Arabic to English on the history of pearl diving. The actual lecturer was the Arabic-speaking man of the hour, Juma Khalifa bin Thalith, author of nine books on Emirati heritage. Thalith even brought with him to the lecture a nose clip (for pearl divers) made from the horn of a gazelle, that was allegedly 320 years old, and cost Dh75,000.

Answer 2

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), pearl divers risked death by drowning and shark attacks, in addition to damaged eardrums, to dive for oysters in the Persian Gulf. The practice was once the major source of income for the majority of inhabitants in the UAE, who would use their share of the proceeds from the pearls to squeak out a living and provide for their families.