know Your UAE
THE SHARJAH
HERITAGE MUSEUM 2
I
n our September issue, we took
a look at the Sharjah Heritage
Museum. The museum holds a
wealth of information that is useful
to those who are visiting the UAE for the
first time, as well as to those who live
and work here. Some of the areas that
were covered in the last issue included
snapshots of traditional knowledge,
important cultural rituals involving
babies, the Drour calendar and the Al
Rolla tree. In this issue, we continue
to explore the UAE’s rich history as
we look at jobs and occupations of the
past, a few traditions and the role of the
mosque.
rope. Pieces of palm trunk, leaves and
fibres were used to fill the inside of
the boat. These boats were designed
to carry two or four men and their
fishing equipment. Imported wood
was used to build fishing, pearling and
transportation ships of various sizes.
Pearl Diving
Al Gargour (Fish Trap)
Al Sha’sha (Fishing Boat)
Building
In the past, using the raw material
from palm trees, two skilled men could
build a sha’sha (boat) in 3 days. Palm
branches were bent around a wooden
frame and held in place by palm fibre
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This was traditionally made from palm
leaves and took the shape of a basket.
Al gargour was used to catch a variety
of fish. Traps were weighted with
stones and baited with fresh or rotted
fish. Today, most gargour is made from
galvanised steel.
After The Bell
There were two types of pearls
harvested by UAE pearl divers…
these were the Black-lip (pinctada
margaritifera) and the Rayed (pinctada
radiate). The Black-lip was the central
focus of the pearling industry as it
could grow up to 30cm in length.
The inner lining of pearl oysters and
some molluscs have an iridescent
layer composed of calcium carbonate
known as mother of pearl. Pearls were
used to make buttons and jewellery.
Due to their high cost, pearls were
used sparingly and in combination with
other precious metals and gems.