New Pearl Museum Opens in Ras Al Khaimah

The famous emirate company RAK Pearls Holding, which has been growing pearls on its own farm off the coast of the emirate since 2005, has opened a pearl museum. The new museum, whose exhibits tell about the history of pearls and the development of this industry in the United Arab Emirates, has opened in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

The museum displays thousands of pearls of various shapes, colors and sizes, which were "born" in local waters. According to historical data, Ras Al Khaimah, formerly known as the port of Julfar, was the capital of the pearl trade in the Middle Ages. Therefore, according to Muhammad Al Suwadi, the main guide of the museum, its opening in this place is a tribute to history and the revival of traditions.

Getting into the museum, visitors plunge into a completely different world. The walls of the building are strewn with thousands of pearly oyster shells. “We don’t throw away anything, we use every piece of the sink after we take out the pearl. The sinks are used to decorate the interior and fertilize the soil,” said Al Suwadi.

On the ground floor of a two-story building, the history of pearl craft is presented, including gloves, nose clips and tight white cotton suits to protect against jellyfish, which divers used to extract these precious stones at sea. To protect their skin from damage, divers scrubbed it with special oil, but their eyes and ears were open, so often professional pearl catchers lost their sight and hearing. One of the surviving pearl hunters, 70-year-old Faraj Al Muherbi, comes to the museum to conduct excursions for visitors on a special fishing boat, the Yale. The 40-meter vessel, fully equipped for catching pearls, had everything necessary for long-distance sailing, even singers and a hookah on board for the entertainment of sailors.

The most famous pearls from all over the world are exhibited on the second floor and details how to distinguish real from fake pearls. There is a white-pink sea pearl "Akoya" with a diameter of up to 10 mm and a larger one - mother-of-pearl, reaching a length of 16 mm. In addition, pearls grown in fresh water, which makes up 95% of the total production of these stones in the world, are presented. Here you can see the famous "oysters of Buddha."

As early as the 11th century, a technique appeared in China in which statuettes of Buddha were placed in an oyster and gave hope to divers that each fishing would be successful. After the hunt, the sailors placed a portrait of Buddha in each shell, which brought them a catch. Finally, the “Miracle of Arabia” is exhibited in this museum - a pearl with a diameter of 12 mm, “sitting” on a red velvet throne and being an example of perfection. “She is perfectly round, dense and shiny. She is our queen,” says Muhammad Al Suwadi. The Pearl Museum, one of a kind in the UAE, is open on Al Qawassim Corniche.

Watch the video: Arabian Pearl. Al Suwaidi Farm (March 2024).