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Encyclopedia ID 6769

Pearl diving

Also known as الغوص · Ghaus · ghaws

Illustration pattern only. No free-licence photograph yet: can you suggest one?

Hand-diving for pearl oysters, a main seasonal industry of the Gulf before oil.

How it is played

Divers with nose clip and stone weight descend and collect oysters while hauled up by a rope partner.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Bahrain.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Mesopotamia, Levant and Arabia.

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Sources

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