As of 2012, “Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy” has become the second World Heritage Site of the Kingdom of Bahrain, testifying to its millennia-old pearl-collecting tradition and the globally significant single-product island economy and social system it produced.
“Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy” is a serial nomination consisting of 20 natural and architectural components: three vast oyster beds located in the northern territorial waters of Bahrain; one seashore site at the southern tip of Bahrain’s Muharraq Island; the ruins of a coastal fortress; and fifteen historic architectural structures forming nine clusters, embedded in the urban fabric of Muharraq city. Collectively, the listed sites reflect the final expression and last remaining example of a cultural tradition that dominated the Arabian Gulf from prehistory to the early 20th century.
Although Muharraq’s pearling economy subsided in the 1930s, the grand narrative it produced remains the most significant source of Bahraini cultural identity. More than a mere “story,” this grand narrative is a comprehensive, shared memory and a thorough explanation of historical experience and traditional knowledge that provides meaning to contemporary identity throughout the Arabian Gulf.
The economic, social, and cultural practices of the Pearling Era, values that are acknowledged internationally as a World Heritage, are to be cherished and nurtured as a significant heritage of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The essential endeavour is to safeguard the site, ensuring the inheritance of this vast heritage from Bahrain’s former pearling economy for future generations. As the responsible body for safeguarding and managing this outstanding site, the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities carries out its tasks with the overall vision of activating the role of culture in social and economic development. Therefore, the goals are set as conserving the property’s components in line with internationally established standards, enabling public access to all the property’s components, providing information on the economic, social, and cultural context of the area, and developing a community-based approach to dealing with urban development and the fabric of ancient cities.
This World Heritage Site consists not only of natural and urban components but also of intangible values that have been shared over millennia. The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ objectives also include safeguarding the shared memory of the Pearling Era by documenting its stories and fostering ongoing practices, such as pearling songs, pearl diving, and many other traditions that are still cherished today by the people of Bahrain.
The UNESCO World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972 and has since been ratified by 195 State Parties. The Kingdom of Bahrain signed the Convention in 1991. Bahrain inscribed its first World Heritage Site, “Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun,” in 2005.
Most countries are very eager to have their sites recognized on the World Heritage List as it increases recognition, provides heritage branding for tourism promotion, brings more visitors, and, along with all the above, conveys economic benefits.
“Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy” was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2012, granting global recognition to the significance of the site. The site was inscribed based on criterion (iii), which is justified as follows: “The ensemble of urban properties, fort, seashore, and oyster beds is an exceptional testimony to the final flourishing of the cultural tradition of pearling, which dominated the Arabian Gulf between the 2nd and early 20th centuries. Although the pearling industry has died, these sites carry the memory of its prosperity and the building traditions that it fostered.”