I always go on photo walks in Bahrain, however this time it was a different type of walk. On a hot and humid day in May it was just me, a talented photog-friend and a few film rolls.
We went exploring the coastal side of Muharraq, my hometown and where I belong though it has changed a lot in the past 10-20 years. Malls are now everywhere, cinemas, hypermarkets, artificial islands, etc you get the point.
The sea seems to drift away from us. Somewhere away from highways and malls we found chickens and ducks enjoying their freedom.
Just a short detour from Manama is this raw spot in Muharraq where mostly fishermen gather to rest and chit-chat. It is also where pearl divers check their proceeds from pearl hunting dives. It was nice to see the pearling craft still alive and preserved. Pearl diving used to be the prime industry of the Gulf before oil was discovered.
The pearl divers manually gather a large numbers of pearl oysters or mussels from the sea. They would leave them to dry then they will open them and search the tissues for something shiny. Piles and piles will be searched in order to find at least 3-4 reasonably sized pearls.
It was an overcast day so the sunset wasn’t as spectacular as expected but there was something surreal about the whole place and atmosphere.
