Ancient pearling site that started the nation - Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy 1364; Fjiri 01747
What and Why
For centuries, Muharraq (Arabic: المحرق, Al-Muḥarraq) was the Persian Gulf’s pearling epicentre. After all the region produces some of the finest pearls in the world, and this literally gave birth to the regional Bahraini culture and civilisation since the 3rd century BCE. Virtually everyone was involved in the pearling industry or its associated activities and Muharraq boasted the largest fleet of pearling vessels.
Pearl farming and mining in Bahrain (البحرين, Al-Bahrayn) was first mentioned in ancient texts dating to 2000 BCE, referring to 'fish eyes' from Dilmun (Sumerian: 𒉌𒌇), Bahrain's ancient polity. The region was also mentioned by the famed Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (Latin: Plinius Maior, né Gaius Plinius Secundus) as famous for its great pearls, when Bahrain was referred to as Tylos (Greek: Τύλος).
Exploding demand for pearls beginning in the 19th century CE when the Mughal Empire (Persian: امپراتوری گورکانی, Gūrkāniyān Amperatwra), Persia (Old Persian: 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿, Pârsa) and Europe emerged as the major market for Muharraq's pearls. This craze reached its apex in the early 1910s CE, after which wars, arrival of artificial pearls, economic crash and its impact luxury goods market, all led to the decline in the 1930s CE and ultimately the total collapse of the industry by 1950s CE. Fortunately the country is saved by the discovery of oil and almost all pearl divers turned to the oil industry since. Nevertheless, pearling is firmly ingrained in the society and culture and its importance and influence cannot be understated to Bahrain.
Toponymy
'Muharraq' means 'ashes' or' burning' in Arabic, as the area was a place of worship with people burning things as sacrifice.
See
All these historic monuments are now lined along the historic 4-km Pearling Path (مسار اللؤلؤ, Masar Alluwu) in Muharraq, which includes various buildings which were significantly involved in the pearling economy. We go from south to north along the path.
Oyster beds (أسرة المحار)
There are some small near-shore oyster beds near the Pearling Path, possibly for display purpose rather than for real, as shown in the main picture above. The pearls farmed in the area come from the oyster Pinctada radiata, which is usually found in deeper waters at 5 to 20 m of depth and hence the real oyster beds are much farther from the coastline. In fact the two most famous oyster beds, Hayr Bū-l-Thāmah (حير بطمة) and Hayr Bū ‘Amāmah (حير بوعماه) are actually located more than 60 km off the northern shores of Muharraq, and the actual beds can only be accessed professionally. Both sites have a great reputation for producing beautiful pearls but are off-limits to ordinary visitors.
By the way, pearls are formed inside the oyster as the oyster's mantle deposits layers of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of the mineral aragonite held together by an organic horn-like compound called conchiolin. The combination of aragonite and conchiolin is called nacre, or commonly called mother-of-pearl, gives out the shell irradiance and iridescence. The pearl is formed when a small irritant, parasite, or material enters the oyster, either naturally or artificially, and the nacre surrounds the irritant to protect the oyster, which eventually forms the pearl, mostly but not always in spherical shape.
Qa'lat Bu Mahir (قلعة بو ماهر)
Now the semi-official symbol of the pearling path, Qa'lat Bu Mahir (قلعة بو ماهر) is a fortress reconstructed in the mid-19th century CE from a Portuguese fortification built in the 16th century CE. It served as the main defence for the city and its water supply against pirates attack, and hence played an important role in the pearling history. Presently only the southern tower and its attached building remained, as shown.
Al-Ghūş House (بيت الغص)
Originally built as the diver house in the early 20th century CE, this house was originally located along the seashore to provide direct access to the sea, but reclamations and coastal sediments build-up has extended the distance from the shoreline and now it is much deeper inland. The place served as the residence for many pearl divers.
Al-Jalahma House (بيت الجلاهمة)
The Al-Jalahma (الجلاهمة) family was involved in all sorts of professions around the pearling industry, and this is the family house. Apparently the house was resided by mostly women through multiple marriages, and this is exhibited as an important feature of the house, and provides a perspective of the female life back then.
During the pearling season, most of the men of the city would have left to the sea, and literally Muharraq would be populated by women only. Hence the house, especially its majlis (المجلس, majālis), as blogged in Al-Ain (ٱلْعَيْ) would turn to a reception or gathering area for the women in the city. Hence the house has lots of interesting and flexible mechanisms to convert the rooms and houses to for both family-use and female-use only. It is important in the Arabic custom to protecting the female privacy, especially domestically.
Murad House (منزل مراد)
Murad house (منزل مراد), together with its small courtyard, mosque and majlis are residence belonging to the namesake family which is still in use today. The complex is best known for its well-preserved central tower. The building complex, constructed of coral stone, is artistically minimalist but grand and is representative of the status of a rich pearl-merchant.
Siyadi house (بيت سيادي)
Similar to the Murad house, the Siyadi house (بيت سيادي) is a complex of residence, mosque, courtyard and masjid built by the Siyadi (سيادي) family, which clearly prospered from the pearl-boom. The Siyadi complex is perhaps the best preserved buildings along the path.
While the buildings were erected in the mid-19th century CE only, it already represents the oldest mosque in Muharraq. The complex is still occupied by the Siyadi family and is not open for visit, except looking at it from the outside.
Buy and Do
Fjiri (الفجيري)
From Qalat Bu Mahir, there is a daily ferry boat ride to the Bahrain National Museum (متحف البحرين الوطني, Muthaf Al-Bahrayn Al-Watanī) in Manama (المنامة), which gives a very good description about the history of Bahrain, and the museum naturally has to include pearling as part of the major exhibit.
From the exhibits, one would recognise that pearling also bring in an important cultural heritage, the vocal music of fjiri (الفجيري, al-fujairi). The music was traditionally played by the pearl divers as an entertainment and is characterised by singing, clapping and drumming. Drumming was done on an Arabic two-sided hand drum called mirwās (مرواس) or usually more crudely on the pot-top. Fjiri is a major cultural icon of Bahrain in spite of the decline of the pearling industry and continues to strive or even elevates itself for formal performances.
Strange but true, there are not that many pearl shops along the pearling path. In fact the historic area is largely residential and obsolete.
Getting There and Around
The pearling path is around 15 minute-drive away from the airport, which is located in the Muharraq itself. There is no entry fee to any buildings but one must note that Qa'lat Bu Mahir can only be accessed through the footbridge from the pearling path. There is no access to the fort from the coastline, which was our mistake when we went there. The area deserves one day of visit.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The site consists of seventeen buildings in Muharraq City, three offshore oyster beds, part of the seashore and the Qal’at Bu Mahir fortress on the southern tip of Muharraq Island, from where boats used to set off for the oyster beds. The listed buildings include residences of wealthy merchants, shops, storehouses and a mosque. The site is the last remaining complete example of the cultural tradition of pearling and the wealth it generated at a time when the trade dominated the Gulf economy (2nd century to the 1930s, when Japan developed cultured pearls). It also constitutes an outstanding example of traditional utilization of the sea’s resources and human interaction with the environment, which shaped both the economy and the cultural identity of the island’s society.
Fjiri is a musical performance that commemorates the history of pearl diving in Bahrain. Dating back to the late nineteenth century, it was traditionally performed by pearl divers and pearling crews to express the hardships faced at sea. The performers sit in a circle, singing and playing different types of drums, finger chimes and a jahl, a clay pot used as an instrument. The centre of the circle is occupied by the dancers and the lead singer, who is in charge of conducting the performance. Fjiri originated on the Island of Muharraq, where, up until the mid-twentieth century, most of the population formed part of the pearling community. However, today the practice has reached a wider audience through performances in festivals across all regions of Bahrain. It is now well-known across the country and is viewed as a means of expressing the connection between the Bahraini people and the sea. Fjiri is usually performed in cultural spaces called durs by descendants of pearl divers and pearling crews and by other individuals. The transmission process usually entails consistently practicing in durs and performing for audiences. Although it is performed by all-male groups, Fjiri is enjoyed by all members of the community. The words, rhythms and instruments are used to convey the values of perseverance, strength and resourcefulness.
References
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