2021-05-25 Tue

Kuwait is a tiny desert nation perched on the tip of the Persian Gulf with a long coastline. Apart from the Gulf Wars and oil, Kuwait is known for plantations, camel rearing, fishing, and pearl diving.

With a long coastline, Kuwait is strategically placed for pearl diving. In the early 1900s, the pearl business thrived and made the merchants. Pearl Diving in Kuwait was the main source of income in the old days. Back then, pearl diving was difficult without all the modern technology and diving equipment. The men dived thirty to forty times a day, risking serious injury and death.

Yet, despite the hardship, it proved to be a financial blessing. However, ss oil production boomed, the dependence on pearls has waned. Seven thousand years after the first pearl was found in Kuwait, the pearl market has all but vanished from the country. This lost tradition is now being revived in the country and one of the attempts is this 20 Dinar banknote issued in 2014.

The banknote depicts Kuwaiti Emblem depicting a golden falcon (Hawk of Quraish) and a Boom sailing ship (dhow), Seif Palace which is a symbol of sovereignty and ruling power to all of. The reverse depicts Kuwaiti pearl diver, one of the earliest professions that enabled Kuwaitis to earn a living before the discovery of oil and Al-Boom traditional Kuwaiti Dhow ship.

Image Courtesy: banknote.ws