Pearl Diving in Kuwait, Kuwait

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Pearls (dana), not oil, once formed the basis of Kuwait's wealth. Now, annual pearl diving festivals help today's generation experience the excitement and hardship that their forefathers faced. Such festivals are a tribute to men who dedicated their lives to the pearling industry. The young divers make extensive preparations for the event: they train rigorously in diving and sailing; meet experienced captains and old divers who explain the intricacies of pearl diving; and familiarise themselves with the equipment. Traditionally, ships or dhows were prepared by first beaching them along the shore and caulking cracks with cotton dipped in shark oil. Then, a thick coating of noora (a mixture of shark oil and powder) was manually smeared over the hull, up to the water line. Dhows made of Indian teak are waterproofed with the traditional mixture of sheep's oil and lime. The clothes of today's pearl-divers are the same as their forefathers. The wazar (a wrap-around skirt that also serves as a head wrap) is worn along with diving trunks and T-shirts. Also worn is the fotam (nose clip), dieng (neck basket) and hajer (toe anchor). During the dive, the diver is secured to the ship's railing with a rope tied around his waist. When he is ready to surface, he tugs on the rope -- which his helper must hold at all times -- and the latter then pulls up the diver. The qafal (the end) of the festival is celebrated with traditional singing and dancing. Source: www.kuwait-info.com

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