Friday 16 March 2001 The International Court of Justice confirms Bahrain's sovereignty over Hawar Islands

Heritage of Bahrain

Pearl diving

Since ancient times, Bahrain has been famous for pearl diving and for the finest natural pearls in the Gulf area and in the world. Pearl diving reached its climax during the 19th century, before its fall in the early 20th century following the discovery of oil and the introduction of the cultured pearl. It has been documented that 35,000 tons of oysters were harvested annually during the 19th century which produced 80-90% of the natural pearls in the world.

In the old days, Pearl diving season, which lasted from June to September, was officially opened and closed by the rulers of Bahrain at the time. The most productive oyster beds were located north and east of Bahrain, and beliefs go that the purest and the whitest of pearls came from deep waters. This threatened the lives of divers as no artificial diving apparatus were used.

A typical crew of diving ships consisted of about sixty men from the divers, pullers, a couple of ship boys, a cook, to the captain's mate and the captain himself.

The captain, who would find his way in the sea without any compass, took the ship to the location of oyster beds. The captain's mate would naturally assist the captain. Divers then dived to the bottom of the sea to harvest the pearl bearing oysters. They were pulled up by the pullers, who also worked at the oars. After ten dives the divers would come on board for a rest and fresh divers replaced them. This process would continue throughout the day. Of course, at the end of a hard-worked day, men would need a nice meal, which was prepared by the cook assisted by the ship boys.

Dhow building

The Webster's dictionary defines the word "dhow" as a single-masted ship with a lateen sail, sharp prow, deep forefoot, and raised deck at the stern, ... . Many variations of dhows were constructed in Bahrain, the most common being: boom, sambuk, shu'ii and jalbut. Each of these had its own specific design and special use.

The boat-builders of the past never used any plans for the construction of these ships, but all the dimensions were memorised. The wood used for the construction of the hull of these ships were usually teak or mangrove and were imported from India, whereas the ribs were made from acacia which was grown locally.

Traditionally, no nails were used but special joints between the planks of the hull which were covered inside the hull with pads of palm leaves.

Fishing and fish traps

There are two types of fish traps used in Bahrain. One is called "jarjur" which is made of wire and is shaped like a light weight cage. This is then filled with ground bait and lowered in the sea to entice the fish through a narrow funnel.

The second type is called "hadhra" and is made of wood and palm reeds in the shape of a giant arrow-head when viewed aerially. Their function is to exploit the movement of the fish with the tide. During high tide the fish move to the shores looking for food, and during the low tide they rush back towards the sea. It is during this movement back into the deep waters that the fish get trapped between the two arms of the "hadhra" and forced to move in one direction into the trap. The design and construction of these traps vary according to the species of fish which is caught, as different species of fish have different swimming habits.

Pottery

A'ali village is renowned for its pottery whcih is still made in the traditional ways. Jugs, water containers, money boxes and flower pots are still re-sold in various areas in Bahrain as ornamental pieces which is gaining increasing popularity.

Coffee pot making

These traditional coffee pots were made commonly in copper or very specially in silver, and there are special craftsmen for this dying craft who used to stamp their own variations of the pot designs in a similar way to the practice of gold and silver hallmarking.

The traditional style of the coffee pots is very similar throughout the region, having long beak-like spouts and concentric circles with beautiful patterns.

Embroidery

A traditional craft which flourished in certain villages like Busaiba and Sanabis, where women would sew intricate designs onto the ladies national dresses and would sell them in the traditional Wednesday market.

Rush matting

These were made in the homes of the craftsmen in Sitra island (on the east coast of the mainland Bahrain). They were made of grass, which was locally grown.

Lime manufacture

In the old days when whitewash was used in the construction of the houses in Bahrain, lime was manufactured in A'ali village by firing suitable locally fetched stones in special kilns, followed by beating the heated stones into powder.

Herbal medicines (or herbal waters)

These were basically products of palm tree flowers, pollen and buds, which were distilled in certain villages like Jidhafs. Now a days, many varieties of local and imported herbs are distilled and used as natural remedies. These are sold in the local (central) markets, medium to large cold stores and super markets, and also in the herbal-medicine shops. Below is list of the more common herbal waters:

Basket work

This is still practised in certain villages like Karbabad, where various sizes of baskets and traditional dining mats (for the floor) are hand woven under the shelter of a "barasti" in the middle of a date grove. In Jasra village, traditional hand fans and small containers are woven in certain homes.

Fabric weaving

The village of Bani-Jamra is home to the traditional fabric weaving in Bahrain, where traditional black cloth, with colorful lines near the edges, was produced. This cloth was used to make special type of formal overall covers for the ladies.

Agriculture

This is as old as the history of Bahrain. It provided the early man in Bahrain with fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and a source of basic material for a variety of products and uses. Bahrain was, at one time, very famous for its numerous natural springs; most of which have, unfortunately, disappeared. The springs used to provide the fresh irrigation waters to the neighboring farms and plantations.

Qanats – an early engineering ingenuity – a water distribution system

This is an early engineering ingenuity which was not uncommon in this region of the world.

Very early, irrigation was through natural springs and surface wells. Then, "Qanat" systems were constructed.  These are thought to be one of the most useful and ancient of man's creations, and it is considered as a remarkable achievement of the early man since no mechanical equipment was used in their construction.

Basically, these are networks of tunnels dug underground to distribute water. It is possible to dig these tunnels either underground, or just below ground level as open ditches which are then closed with coral conglomerates and finally covered with earth. Ventilation shafts were constructed at regular intervals in order to supply air to men digging these tunnels and also to provide a passage for hauling up the excavated materials during construction. On completion, the ventilation shafts were capped with a chimney arrangement of stonework. This enabled periodic inspection, cleaning and maintenance of the "Qanats".

Photos related to the above will be posted in future. Please visit this page again.

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