Pearl Diving: The Maritime Heritage of Eastern Arabia

For centuries before the discovery of oil, the pearl beds of the Arabian Gulf sustained a sophisticated maritime economy that shaped the culture, society, and international connections of Eastern Arabia. Pearl diving was not merely an occupation but a way of life that demanded extraordinary courage, endurance, and collective cooperation.

The diving season, lasting roughly four months each summer, would see entire communities mobilize for the arduous work of harvesting pearls from the gulf floor. Divers would descend repeatedly to depths of fifteen meters or more, holding their breath for minutes at a time in pursuit of the precious oysters.

Social Organization

Pearl diving developed its own complex social and economic structures. The captain (nakhuda), the divers (ghais), and the haulers (saib) each played essential roles, bound together by traditional profit-sharing arrangements and mutual obligations that extended beyond the diving season.

Legacy

Though the industry declined with the advent of cultured pearls and the oil economy, the heritage of pearl diving remains deeply embedded in the culture of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, commemorated in museums, songs, and collective memory.