The Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar in Sri Lanka have been the center of the international pearl trade for more than 4,000 years. Since ancient times, the region has produced some of the world’s finest natural pearls, supplying the courts of the ancient kings and queens of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and later the Greek empires. , Roman and Byzantine. Kuwait was also once one of the centers of this industry in the Persian Gulf, with a history of developing the pearl industry at least four millennia. Pearl fishing in Kuwait had its heyday before the 19th century. (Source: Pinterest) Before the discovery of oil in the 1930s and extraction after World War II, the main economic activity in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf was the extraction of pearl resources mainly on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf. The history of pearl farming in the Persian Gulf goes back more than four millennia. References to this industry were made by early writers such as the Greek historian Pliny and the Roman geographer Ptolemy of the 2nd century AD. Historically, people living around the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar discovered and appreciated the beauty and value of natural pearls created from mussels, opening the pearl industry. Ups and downs with history Since then, Kuwait’s pearl industry has experienced many ups and downs of history. At one stage, pearls became the main export product of the Gulf state, alongside horses, dates, timber and spices. From the early seventeenth century until the 1930s, the country’s economy was largely dependent on pearl diving off the coast of the Arabian Gulf, home to the richest reserves in the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Kuwait had nearly 700 pearl diving boats with a workforce of about 15,000 people. The pearl diving season usually lasts for 4 months, from mid-May to mid-September. In the remaining 8 months, traders often use ships to trade and fish offshore. It is the basis for Kuwait’s thriving maritime and shipbuilding industry. Kuwaiti fishermen regularly call at ports in the Middle East, the East coast of Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Historical evidence shows that Kuwaiti pearl fishermen sailed as far as Mannar Bay, between the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, especially during the fishing season of these pearl fishing grounds. Natural pearls of Kuwait are thought to be caused by a combination of soil environment, water salinity, climatic conditions and accidental conditions when a small foreign object or grain of sand enters. inside the clams, mussels and stay in it. Irritated by this foreign object, the mussel creates a layer of mother-of-pearl that surrounds the intrusive sand. This process repeats for many years and creates a wonderful gem. For three centuries, Kuwait’s economy based on the pearl industry, seafaring and commerce has thrived relative to the rest of the region. It created a prosperous merchant class, but did not provide a steady income for much of the population, mainly pearl divers and supplementary workers. But there are ups and downs. The large-scale production of cultured pearls in Japan in the 1930s, and the Great Depression shortly thereafter, caused the traditional pearl industry in Kuwait to gradually decline. Pearl divers and their families are entering an unprecedented period of economic hardship. Fortunately, a promising new revenue stream has emerged. In 1938, oil was discovered in Kuwait. After World War II ended and oil extraction and exports were boosted, most of Kuwait’s population gradually emerged from its economic decline, and began to enjoy the fruits of its wealth. Pearl divers have found alternative work in the burgeoning oil industry. The pearl industry in Kuwait is also gradually disappearing… Find the return date However, even though life is full, the Kuwaiti people have not forgotten their old identity. The Kuwait Tower, one of the iconic works of Kuwait, is inspired by pearls, expressing the pride of the people about the ancient occupation of their ancestors. More importantly, the Kuwaiti government has worked to revive the natural pearl industry. Every June, Kuwait holds a month-long pearl diving festival, to pay tribute to the industry’s ancestors, who dedicated their lives to the pearl industry that formed the foundation of Kuwait’s wealth in the past year. past. The festivals also help Kuwait’s younger generation to recognize and appreciate the ups and downs that their ancestors went through in order to protect and preserve this glorious but potentially dangerous industry. Thereby, the festival also helps preserve the pearl diving tradition that has become an integral part of Kuwaiti culture. A Kuwaiti girl waits for the return of pearl divers during the 2019 Kuwaiti pearl diving festival (Photo: Gazi/Xinhua) Pearl diving in Kuwait is called “ghaus” and those who participate in diving are called “ghawawis”. Divers use traditional equipment such as “Dieng” (neck-basket), “hager” (anchor) and “fotam” (nose clip). The end of the festival called “qafal” is celebrated with traditional singing and dancing performances. The Kuwaiti public responded enthusiastically and participated in the festival, expressing their desire to preserve national traditions and culture. The festival also attracts international tourists and friends: Many are excited to take part in the diving competition after initial training. The pride of the “Kuwait pearl” also helps remind the people of Kuwait about the once glorious pearl industry of the Gulf nation. The “Kuwait Pearl” has a special design, 19th century style with the brilliant shine and ivory characteristic of natural pearls from the Persian Gulf, once incorporated by the first owner as a faceplate. necklace. The “Kuwait Pearl” has an almost perfect teardrop shape, weighs 64.35 carats, (12.87 grams), and measures 41.28 x 19.05 mm in length and width, respectively. It is known as the 6th largest natural pearl and one of the 12 rarest pearls in the world. The ‘Pearl of Kuwait’ (Source: Smithsonian Institution) The pearl’s current owner is Bond Street, jeweler Symbolic & Chase, purchased on November 24, 2004 for £150,000 ($270,000) and named it “Kuwait Pearl” in recognition. and a true reflection of the pearl’s natural origin. The sale was made at Christie’s in London from an anonymous private family consignment for auction in 2004. The “Pearl of Kuwait” is now part of the Pearl exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Bellerophon destroys Chimera. He is also known for successfully capturing the winged magic horse Pegasus. However, Bellerophon was punished by Zeus, thinking that his exploits would allow him to equal the gods. Defeat the tyrant Belleros Bellerophon is this name that came later. The boy’s name was Hipponoos at first. At that time there arose in Corinthe an evil king named Belleros. He usurped the throne, practiced many tyrannical policies that made the people complain. So Hipponoos took action to eliminate this tyrant. Since then, the brave young man was no longer called by the name Hipponoos, but called Bellerophon in Greek, meaning: “The one who killed Belleros”. But according to ancient Greek law, murder was a felony, the murderer had to be tried and suffered very severe punishment. Bellerophon therefore had to abandon the city of Corinthe and flee to Tirynthe, begging King Proetos to take refuge. After hearing the story, King Proetos loved Bellerophon very much. He baptized and purified him, allowing him to live in the palace with the king’s family. Queen Sthenebee, wife of King Proetos, was an amorous woman. She once again fell in love with the sturdy young man Bellerophon. In the absence of her husband, Sthenebee tried to talk to Bellerophon but was refused. Embarrassed, Sthenebee thought of a way to avenge him. She waited for her husband to return, went to her husband and falsely accused Bellerophon of having acts of laziness, groping with her, and insulting her reputation. She demanded that her husband kill Bellerophon in order to dishonor her. Believing the queen, but not wanting blood, King Proetus sent Bellerophon to his father-in-law – King Iobates of Lycia with a letter. In the letter, it said: Bellerophon has committed offenses against her, asking her father-in-law to take action to punish her. The letter was written in a secret sign on an terracotta “paper” that only the two of them understood and gave Bellerophon to carry. Bellerophon set out for Lycia. King Iobates gave a feast to the hero who destroyed Belleros. After eating and drinking, Bellerophon presented the king with a letter from Proetos. After reading the letter, he couldn’t believe that a hero could commit such an evil and unclean crime as his son-in-law wrote to him. Iobates found it a little hard to believe. In the end, Iobates decided to spare Bellerophon. But not completely acquitted, he devised another way to punish Bellerophon to eliminate the monster Chimera. Kill the Chimera Chimera is a hybrid beast, with a lion body, the front part is a lion’s head, the tail is a dragon’s head (or snake’s head), in the middle of Chimera’s body grows a goat’s head. But to defeat the wind-speeding, fire-breathing Chimere, Bellerophon must have a superior weapon. He knew that the hero Perseus in the duel with the demon Medusa had won a great victory thanks to his winged sandals. He felt that perhaps he must also find such magic sandals so that he could fly high in the sky and swoop down to fight monsters. Suddenly Bellerophon remembered the Pegasus horse from the demon Medusa’s neck, when it was slashed, it flew into the sky. Bellerophon immediately began to prepare for the journey to conquer Pegasus. To conquer Pegasus, you must find the summit of Mount Helicon. Here is the Hippocrene stream, flowing between two banks of green grass. Pegasus often landed from the sky to the top of the mountain and came to drink from that stream. But how to catch that magic horse, a horse that when it caught a glimpse of a person, it flapped its wings and flew straight into the sky? Bellerophon, after many attempts to catch him, had to go to the oracle Polyidos to ask for guidance. Polyidos advised Bellerophon to go to the temple of the goddess Athena to pray. He did, and Athena appeared, giving Bellerophon the golden reins and showing Bellerophon how to capture and tame Pegasus. Out of habit, Pegasus landed from the sky in the meadow by the stream. After gnawing on tufts of young green grass, Pegasus went to the stream to drink water. Bellerophon immediately ran to Pegasus. Hearing the sound, Pegasus lifted his head from the stream to flap his wings. But seeing Bellerophon running up to him with his golden reins shining brightly, Pegasus obediently let Bellerophon take the reins. So Bellerophon had a “weapon” to destroy the evil Chimera. Immediately, Bellerophon flew to the mountain of Chimera’s lair. He landed the horse Pegasus and found the Chimera cave to lure it out. The next hit, Chimera rushed out from the cave, three streams of fire spewed out from the beast’s three mouths and brushed where it was burning. Bellerophon leapt as fast as he could on the back of the reindeer. He flew up, looking down from the sky he could easily see the weak point of the monster. Thanks to Pegasus’s powerful support, Bellerophon used the long spear to stab the monster repeatedly. Chimera got angry, spitting out streams of fire that burned everything around. But the fire had made Chimera’s wounds irreparable. Even though Chimera knew that his opponent was coming down from the sky, he raised his head to spit fire, but it was too late. Bellerophon quickly plunged the spear into Chimera’s throat. In excruciating pain, Chimera unleashed fire indiscriminately, burning the mountains to limestone, and the forest land to cinders. The mountains collapsed, the trees burned, the fire was burning, and the smoke and dust made it even more impossible for Chimera to find Bellerophon. It died in a frenzy and was burned to ashes by its own flames. Bellerophon completes Iobates’ mission. He returned to the palace with a glorious feat, glorious glory. Iobates hasn’t stopped challenging yet. This time, the king sent his famous heroes to lead an army to ambush Bellerophon when he learned that he had won and was on his way back. Bellerophon, despite being hit by surprise, still undeterred, taking down the opponents one by one. Only now did King Iobates acknowledge Bellerophon’s great feat. He opened a solemn celebration party, moreover, gave him his daughter in marriage and gave him half of the country for him to govern. The people considered him a great hero of Lycie country. The life of the hero thought he would achieve more glorious feats for the country of Lycie, unexpectedly, Bellerophon for some reason had come up with the wild idea to equal the gods. He did not want to live in the mundane world of the short-lived, but wanted to live in the Olympus world of the immortal gods. He thought that his exploits might allow him to equal the gods. So Bellerophon rode the horse Pegasus straight up into the sky, high up, high above the low clouds to the high clouds to reach Mount Olympus. Zeus saw Bellerophon riding a Pegasus flying through the clouds, and he frowned in anger. Zeus waved his hand hard, the horse suddenly became aggressive and uncharacteristic, and threw Bellerophon off his back, causing him to fall to the earth. Bellerophon fell, but fortunately did not lose his life, but only lost his life and went blind. He had lost his heroic status, lived with the misfortune of being disabled and alone, roaming the world with remorse for his blasphemy.