Focussing on the Emirate's
maritime past, pearl diving traditions and architecture, the
centre offers storybook displays including a tented
bedouin
village, ancient armoury, wooden chests and cooking utensils.
The village is close to the
site of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum's House.
Pearl diving, one of the
oldest professions in the region, existed almost six to seven
thousand years back. A pearl diving ship carried 10-60 people
on board for an expedition. The team comprised a captain (Nokhaza),
some divers, seeb, and other staff. The diver often risked his
life to gather pearl studded oysters from the sea bed. He used
to dive deep for more than two minutes to collect a handful of
oysters. The season lasted only for six months starting from
April because the Gulf waters during this season were warm and
safe. The Emirate of Dubai was most active in this adventurous
occupation and owned about 335 pearl fishing dhows at a time.
The Diving Village forms
part of an ambitious plan to turn the entire Shindagha area
into a cultural microcosm, recreating life in Dubai as it was
in the days gone by.
