Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain

Les noms des biens figurent dans la langue dans laquelle les Etats parties les ont soumis.

Bahreïn (États arabes)

Date de soumission : 14/05/2008
Critères: (v)
Catégorie : Culturel
Soumission préparée par :
Bahraini Delegation to the World Heritage Committee
Etat, province ou région :
Bahrain territorial waters, Muharraq Governorate
Ref.: 5370

Description

The proposed five serial properties present a relict cultural landscape combining three sites of oyster beds considered underwater cultural landscapes, a coastal cultural landscape site including beach and coastal landing facilities as weIl as land elements relevant to the cultural, social and economical history of pearling in form of groups of buildings in the historie urban district of Muharraq Island. The nomination will be proposed as a cultural site (cultural landscape), not a mixed site, as the natural values of the oyster beds are not considered of "Outstanding Universal Value" without their link to the cultural, social and economic aspects of pearling. As a relict cultural landscape the property does not fall into the scope of the 2003 Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is focused on ongoing intangible heritage expressions.

The five serial properties are briefly described below arranged according to their geographical location form North to South (in case of the oyster beds) and their chronological relevance in the pearling process:

"Hayr Bu-I-Thamah", covering an area of 18,700 hectares -with an estimate of oyster density reaching 23.000 oysters per hectare -is located approximately 70 km off shore in the northemmost territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is considered the best conserved of the natural oyster beds brought forth in this nomination.

The combined oyster beds "Hayr Bu am'amah" and "Hayr al-Mayyana" present the densest aggregation of oyster beds giobally covering an overall area of 19,350 hectares with an estimated oyster density of 43.600 oysters per hectare. They are located approximately 51 km off shore South-west of "Hayr Bu-I-Thamah". Like "Hayr Bu-I-Thamah" both beds are harvested during the main season in the warmer months (June to September). "Hayr al-Mayyana" is further reported to produce the highest quality of natural pearls and the highest ratio of pearl discoveries (with diameter above 3mm) in oyster shells.

"Hayr Shtayyah", (lit. 'little winter') is the largest oyster bed in the Arabian Gulf and the one located closest to the Bahraini coast -at approximately 20 km off-shore -was predominantly used for short-term exploitation expeditions during the cooler months, before and after the main season (October to November and April to May).

The coastal cultural landscape of "Bu Maher" comprises dhow cleaning, maintenance and landing facilities. The beach at the juncture of the historic deep water channel leading to Muharraq island ''Bu Maher Beach" is one of the central historic locations of the dhows' and divers' departures and arrivals, accompanied by a variety of traditional farewell and welcoming festivities.

The urban cultural landscape of pearling on Muharraq Island comprises groups of historic buildings and locations, located parallel to the historic coastline, which represent the core places of the social, cultural and economic system of pearling. Buildings are grouped into several main clusters (core zones) located in a shared buffer zone. The main clusters comprise elements such as a Tawwash (pearl merchant) residence and trading house, an Amara (dhow equipment and food supply) cluster, the historic stores and shops which supplied the dhow builders and divers equipment, and a cluster of a central dhow traders residence and dhow building yard as weIl as its neighbouring historic district, including houses of captains, divers and public meeting places.

Valeur universelle exceptionnelle

Justification de la Valeur Universelle Exceptionelle

Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain is an outstanding example of a traditional sea-use, which shaped the economic and cultural identity of an island society. This millennia-long practice is the most significant example globally of a natural pearl-collection tradition. The practice is based on the Arabian Gulf oyster beds north of Bahrain, which are best-known source of pearls since ancient times.

Although the pearl collection industry collapsed as a result of irreversible economic change in the early 1930s many of its characteristic features and practices survive. The natural resources utilized still re-main in the surviving oyster beds "Hayr Bu-l-Thamah", Hayr Bu am'amah", "Hayr al-Mayyana" and "Hayr Shtayyah", which may be understood as an underwater relict cultural landscape. These are ac-companied by surviving cultural resources including domestic and public structures linked to the pearl-ing economy as well as production facilities for pearl collection and distribution tools and products. Both sets of resources together constitute the essential elements to illustrate the story of Pearling in Bahrain.

Beyond the world heritage context place names, family names, social hierarchies, surviving legal forms, songs, stories, poetry, festivals and dances are associated to these physical resources and assist in transmitting the story of pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain.

Criteria (v) Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain is an outstanding example of a traditional sea-use and human interaction with the environment, which shaped the economic and cultural identity of an island society. At present the pearling cultural landscapes are representative of a tradition that became vulnerable and has been gradually abandoned since the 1930ies due to the impact of irreversible change, i.e. the collapse of the natural pearl industry after the introduction of large-scale cultivation of pearls.

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

The most important attributes in transmitting the Outstanding Universal Value of Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain are feeling, location and setting, use and function, language and perhaps legal regulations as an additional internal factor.

Bahraini nationals still participate in an unchanged manner with pride and honour in the transmission of the pearling narratives which are authentic in shaping the cultural identity of this island community.

All elements presented in this tentative list entry are authentic in location. This fact gives them utmost importance as memory markers of the pearling narrative (see also authenticity of place names below). The underwater cultural landscapes of the oyster beds as well as the "Bu Maher" coastal cultural landscape are also authentic in setting. The authenticity in setting of some buildings in the fifth core zone, the urban cultural landscape of Muharraq, however has been compromised by land reclamations of the late 1970s, which removed the key buildings from their former seafront locations.

Although the economic tradition of pearl exploitation was gradually abandoned, the listed oysters beds are still harvested (on a small scale) for scientific and leisure/sport diving purposes. "Bu Maher" coastal cultural landscape is still in continuous use as a landing and departure location for boats (and dhows), nowadays mainly those boats of the neighbouring coast guard base. A majority of the historic houses, representative of key-elements of the pearling tradition, are still owned and inhabited by the descendants of those actively involved in pearling, whether merchant, captain, divers or boat builders' families. Public houses are further used for exactly the same functions as during the era of pearling and therefore not only continue active elements of the social pearling tradition but also unquestionably present authenticity in use and function.

An intangible element of high historic authenticity is the continuity of place-and family names, closely linked to their functions or important locations in the Pearl Diving Industry. Like these also legal regulations have found unaltered continuity: The pearl trade in Bahrain is authentically limited to natural pearls based on an enforced legal restriction (issued in the early 2üth century) that prohibits any import of cultured pearls on the island.

Apart from these main attributes transmitting the Outstanding Universal Value, it can be stated that the groups of historic buildings constituting the urban landscape serial site of the property are to a high degree authentic in form and design as well as material and substance. Despite some contemporary additions such as modernization of sanitary equipment, climatic control and in few cases façade advertisement, the architectural form and surface design of the buildings can still be read and the exterior additions are all reversible. Several houses have not yet undergone major restoration treatments and present an extremely high degree of authenticity in material and substance.

Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain combine the full range of diverse processes and locations required to represent the complete story of the Pearl Diving Industry. From the construction of dhows and the diving material and equipment, to the training of the individuals involved in harvest and trade, up to oyster beds and their precious natural resources, the coast as the linking feature to the cultural representation of life in its social and economical conditions during the pearling period.

The oyster beds selected present the examples of the largest, densest and most productive oyster beds, which at the same time can be considered the best preserved. Among the examples are the oyster bed destinations for the main harvesting season as well as an example of an oyster bed preferably harvested during the shorter pre-and post-season periods.

The oyster beds are intact and have not suffered adverse effects from over-harvesting, rather the contrary, a controlled regular harvest could potentially contribute to an enlarged productivity. Some of the historic houses have been subject to neglect and disinterest for the last decades. This however provides the advantage of an authentic substance, which is still in an adequate condition for controlled restoration and presentation. Development pressures in the historic urban district have been largely controlled by the application of a recent historic district zoning scheme. The underwater and coastal elements of the property are either important for sea-traffic connections (Bu Maher Coast) or outside the zone suitable for reclamation (oyster bed underwater cultural landscapes) and are therefore not threatened by future land reclamation and development activities. In addition we have been assured by the environmental research units of the Bahraini oil exploration agency that in case future oil resources are discovered and exploited in the vicinity of the underwater cultural landscapes, these could be done without negative impacts that could compromise the properties Outstanding Universal Value.

Comparison with other similar properties

National Level:

At national level the selected properties combine the most representative and -in few cases - the only surviving elements of particular aspects of the pearling narrative and its cultural landscapes. They are representative locations not only for the narrative but for the identity of an island population which is localized in the contemporary national borders of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Since the historic key-locations and highest population density was concentrated along the Northern Coast of the two main islands, Muharraq, which is the northern of the two and the historic capital of the country, presents the best preserved historic urban fabric which contains a variety of authentic houses and public buildings linked to key-individuals and events of the pearling era.

Regional and International Level:

An international comparative analysis identifies one important region which can be called the centre of pearling activity in the world, the Arabian Gulf. Despite some other oceans hosting pearl-producing oyster beds, such as the Indian Ocean, mainly harvested in the Gulf of Manur, Sri Lanka or the Pacific Ocean, with harvesting activities along the Japanese, Philippine and Australian Coasts as well as Venezuela, Panama and Mexico, none of these has provided a comparable density, quality or harvesting activity as the Arabian Gulf. In addition to the majority of harvesting activities the Arabian Gulf also offers the highest and finest quality of pearls produced by the oyster species Pinctada radiata. Even the centre of trade in pearls was located in the Arabian Gulf for millennia with the exception of the last three active decades of the natural pearl industry (early 20th century) when part of the trading but not the diving activities shifted to Bombay.

Within the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain has always been the leading spot for pearl diving and pearl trade. It is not only best known -the name of Bahrain is still linked to pearls nowadays -but all historic statistics and documents illustrate its leading economic status and world-wide pearl export. In the early years of the 20th century the British colonial statistics illustrate the leading role of Bahrain by comparing the annual revenue from the pearl trade. It estimates 30 million Indian Rupees for Bahrain, 15 millions for the combined Omani and Emirates Coast, 11 millions for Qatar, 8 millions for Kuwait and only 4 millions 600 000 Rupees for Alqatif and Jubail (Saudi-Arabia). This attributes about 40% of the Arabian Gulf Pearl revenue to the small islands of Bahrain.

Unique for Bahrain, and lacking any comparative example, is the exclusiveness of economic and sociocultural dependence of a society on the revenues of one single natural resource and sea-use tradition: pearling. With the collapse of the natural pearl world market prices Bahrain experienced an incomparable social and economic breakdown which could only recover years later by the fortunate coincidence of oil discovery in the region. However, this new source of revenue never managed to enter the identity of the Bahraini society to the extent of pearling, which remains the anchor and spirit of the Bahraini cultural continuity and identity.