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.

In human society, we give and exchange what we need to maintain life is an indispensable daily activity of each individual. More than that, from the perspective of the entire human race, commercial exchanges have become such an indispensable part of today’s world, so much so that each person forgets to depend on them so much that Come on. Just take a minute looking around the room you are sitting in, or look through the top of your desk and ask yourself how much of it is made by you yourself, and you have the answer. word. How commercial activities have an impact on the history of human society is summarized in the book: Trade history – How trade shaped the world ? (Original name : A splendid exchange: How trade shaped the world ) by William J. Bernstein. He is a neuroscientist, an expert in financial and investment theory, and also a researcher in economic history. The book focuses on two main contents: the first is the formation and development of commercial activities; The second is the impact of trade on the shaping of human society throughout history as well as the world today. WJBernstein recounts commercial history from the earliest steps, when people came up with the idea of ​​genius and it was also very natural to exchange what was in surplus for what they needed or liked but didn’t have, in when others have ego, it’s time for commerce to have shape and scale later on. The process of formation began from the cradle of human civilization in Mesopotamia to the formation of the oldest trade routes and then evolved into a complex network stretching from the Roman Empire in the west to the emperor. Han Empire in the East. Next was the disruption of East-West trade on the mainland as the two empires declined and Islam arose from the Middle East and spread influence, becoming the center of global trade for a long time. At the same time, maritime trade with the Indian Ocean was a major trade route that flourished, replacing the ancient Land Silk Road as the economic lifeblood of the world. Besides the overall picture of the ups and downs of trade history, WJBernstein analyzes the interaction between trade with political, social and other natural factors. For example, the geographical structural differences between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean lead to different economic-political, naval strategies thinking among Mediterranean civilizations (such as the Greek). Greece with civilizations participating in the Indian Ocean trading system (Islamic countries in the Middle East, Indian sub-states, Southeast Asia and China). At the same time, he offers interesting examples of times when economic, political and religious interests conflict, forcing rulers to make choices. For example, the famous story when Venice Governor Enrico Dandolo used all his tricks to bring the Crusader army to attack and sack Constantinople, Venice’s influential competitor, instead of attacking Egypt, his partner. commercial importance of Venice, as the Crusaders expected. And not only conscious human endeavors, but at times nature plays an important role in the course of history. The fourteenth century Black Death plague devastated both Christian Europe and the Muslim Middle East, but the consequences were different. The epidemic weakened feudalism in Europe, gave freedom of thought and trade a chance to develop, while at the same time making Islamic civilization severely irreversibly damaged, paving the way for turn in global trade advantage from East to West. In Trade history refers to characters, both famous and anonymous, who contributed to the making of commercial history. It was an anonymous Mesopotamian businessman whose letter on earth kept evidence of a transaction thousands of years ago. It was Vasco da Gama, it was Columbus, the restaurants that paved the way for Europe to regain control of the world. Or Richard Cobden, a pioneer in the fight for free trade thought in the UK in particular and around the world in general. Trading is not only about exchanging goods, but also about competing for the market, competing for monopoly on trading of goods with great profit. Contact between people belonging to far away countries also means the exchange of deadly pathogens. Merchant crews contributed to the spread of the Black Death in Europe. Spanish expeditions made many peoples of the Americas extinct because of the pathogens they carried. Competing for markets, fighting for strategic commodity resources has been the main cause of most wars from ancient times, from the Peloponnese to two bloody World Wars in the twentieth century. WJBernstein has neutrally recounted the story of commerce and its impact on human society, fully pointing out the bright and dark sides of this story. More importantly, we all know this is an ongoing story, and understanding the past is probably the best, if not the only, way to make the future of the dark side of trade possible. control is better, and on the bright side, commercial benefits bring people, to be promoted more thoroughly.