Pearl fishing as evidence of an island economy
| Pearl fishing as evidence of an island economy | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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Siyadi complex with mosque |
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| National territory: |
 Bahrain
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (iii) |
| Surface: | 35,087 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1364 |
| UNESCO region : | Arabic states |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2012 (session 36) |
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bahrain was designated in 2012 under the title pearl fishing as a testimony to an island economy . Unofficially, it is also called path of the pearling ( Pearling pathway called). Seventeen buildings in the city of Muharraq , three oyster beds off the coast, a stretch of coast and the fortress Qal'at Bu Mahir on the southern tip of the island of Muharraq , from where the boats left for the oyster beds , were placed under protection . It is the last surviving evidence of traditional pearl fishing and an example of human use of the sea's resources. The pearl trade brought prosperity to the Gulf region until pearl farming was developed in Japan in the 1930s.
description
Maritime part of the world heritage
Oyster beds:
- Hayr Bū-I-Thāmah,
- Hayr Bū'Amāmah,
- Hayr Shtayyah.
The most productive oyster beds in the north and northeast of Bahrain were selected. Contemporary witnesses and source texts agree that the highest density of oysters was found here and the best pearls were dipped.
In addition, the coastal section Bū Māhir and the fortress Qal'at Bū Māhir belong to the protected area.
It is the last piece of the authentic sandy beach, about 110 meters long. Depending on the tide, the sea in this area is between 2.5 and 25 meters deep. The fortress had the task of protecting the coast and docks from pirates and enemy attacks. Only one tower and the adjoining wing remained from the original four-tower complex. The entire upper part is a reconstruction from the 1970s.
Architectural monuments in Muharraq city
All selected buildings date from the last heyday of the pearl trade. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a lot of construction because the pearl trade made rich profits from internationalization.
The traditional architecture of Bahrain corresponds overall to the construction of the Gulf region and the Middle East. But there are special features in Bahrain that are related to the cultural exchange as a result of the pearl trade. City houses were built around one or more courtyards, the most important building material was the rubble from the coral reefs , walled up with mortar and then plastered. For the flat roofs, mangrove poles were placed close together, over which spliced bamboo poles, woven mats, and a final layer of stone and mud. Many houses were richly decorated: openwork plaster panels, doors with carving, finely sawn wooden windows, sometimes also decorated false ceilings and other facade decorations.
| Name of the previous owner | Type of building | description | construction time |
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| Al-Ghūṣ | Residential building | One-story building, originally three residential units and a liwan , grouped around an inner courtyard. Modest living quarters for a crew member of a pearl fishing dhow . | early 20th century |
| Badr Ghulum | Residential building | Badr Ghulum, the builder, was a barber and one of the few people who could provide medical help to the pearl fishermen. The two-story building also has treatment rooms. | around 1912 |
| Al-Jalahma | Residential building | Large and complex residence of a pearl merchant family. It is located on both sides of the street and has a kind of covered bridge connecting the two wings. | |
| Al-Alawi | Residential building | The builder found prosperity by providing the pearl fishermen at sea with drinking water, tobacco, food and other items. The building has one of the few surviving examples of the traditional wind tower ( malqif al-hawā ') and is characterized by high quality craftsmanship. | 1932 |
| Fakhro | Residential building | The builder was a timber merchant who owned a fleet of up to fifty boats and his own dock. As the family grew, so too did the property until it finally had four courtyards. One of them is well preserved, the others only as ruins. The plaster panels and the wooden window constructions are remarkable here. | early 20th century |
| Murad | Residential building | Well-preserved pearl merchant's house with carvings and architectural jewelry. | Late 19th century |
| Murad Majlis | Guest house | Guest house on the opposite side of the street from the house. | Late 19th century |
| Siyadi | shops | There are three units of shops and storage rooms, two of which are classified as World Heritage and the third as a buffer zone. Pearls were traded here, but at times also dates, rice and coffee. The double wooden doors are typical. | Between 1860 and 1905 |
| Amārāt Ali Rashed and Yousif Abdurrahman Fakhro | Ensemble of three warehouses | The buildings were originally used to store wood for boat building; two are in poor or ruinous condition as a result of long periods of non-use; the best preserved warehouse has also been used so far. | |
| Nūkhidhah | Residential building | The house has guest rooms for the newly arriving divers. This is where the crews of the pearl fishing boats have been put together for the coming season. | around 1920 |
| Siyadi complex | two apartment buildings and a mosque | Residence of a wealthy pearl fisherman who had his own fleet of boats. The modest, one-story mosque has a conical minaret ; the simple facade is in contrast to the rich facade decoration of the neighboring house. The wooden interior of the house was imported from Shiraz . This monument is owned by the Ministry of Culture and is to be set up as a pearl museum. |
History of pearl fishing
Pearls have been dipped in the Persian Gulf since the Neolithic. This branch of industry was expanded in Roman times , as there was a demand for pearls as a luxury item in the empire. Pliny the Elder mentioned that the best pearls came from the Bahrain area. However, most of the pearls came from Sri Lanka in his time .
In the mediaeval sources that comment on the pearl fishing from Bahrain, it should be noted that Bahrain then referred to a larger area than the current state of Bahrain. The Safavids , who gained control of Bahrain in 1602, used the rich proceeds from the pearl trade to finance Shiite institutions in Persia and elsewhere. With the discovery of America, pearls from Venezuela were temporarily a competition for the Bahraini pearl traders. in the 18th century, Bahrain was fiercely contested; the military actors tried to bring the islands under their control in order to siphon off the profits from the pearl trade.
In 1820, a treaty between the Al Khalifa family secured rule over Bahrain. As a result, living conditions stabilized and with a population of around 6000 people, Bahrain became the largest Gulf state and, from the middle of the 19th century, also the most important trading center.
World Heritage Criteria
Criterion III
The ensemble of urban monuments, the fortress, the coast and the oyster beds is an excellent testimony to pearl fishing in its prime (late 19th and early 20th centuries). Although pearl fishing is no longer practiced, the protected buildings show the prosperity that it created.
Integrity and authenticity
With the decline of pearl fishing due to competition from pearl cultivation, the architectural evidence of that era was neglected and exposed to decay. Buildings have been designated for World Heritage that may represent the cultural heritage of pearl fishing and trading for the people of Bahrain. They are like islands in the modern city and are therefore endangered. Their professional restoration is time-consuming because traditional handicrafts were in bloom when it was built, which are hardly practiced today. The oyster beds, the coastline designated as World Heritage and the fort, on the other hand, are not endangered.
Protection and management of the world heritage site
The coastal section of Bū Māhir and the individual monuments in the city of Muharraq are protected as national cultural assets by a decree of 2010, and their management is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture. Different protective laws are applied to the coral reefs and the surrounding maritime buffer zone; a special law that precisely defines the maritime protected area was passed in 2011.
In 2011 the Ministry of Culture developed a plan for the development of the old town of Muharraq. This serves as a buffer zone so that the world cultural heritage sites will in future be embedded in a lively old town with good quality of living.
Web links
- Pearl fishing, evidence of an island economy on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Advisory Board Evaluation ( ICOMOS ): Pearling (Bahrain) No 1364 rev , March 2012.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c ICOMOS: Pearling (Bahrain). P. 19 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ ICOMOS: pearling (Bahrain). Pp. 19-20 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h ICOMOS: Pearling (Bahrain). P. 20 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e ICOMOS: Pearling (Bahrain). P. 21 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ ICOMOS: pearling (Bahrain). P. 21 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ ICOMOS: pearling (Bahrain). P. 22 , accessed on November 5, 2018 .