Organised by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the inaugural Abu Dhabi Pearls Festival has concluded in Al Dhafra Region. The festival celebrated the marine environment and Abu Dhabi’s pearl heritage, while connecting the past and present to transfer knowledge to future generations.
The seven-day festival took place at the Abu Dhabi Pearls Centre in Al Mirfa City, providing visitors the opportunity to learn about the centre – established in 2007 as a pioneering regional facility to support the sustainable aquaculture pearl of local oysters – with the aim of preserving and reviving the emirate’s rich heritage of pearl diving.
The festival offered a variety of interactive, educational entertainment and heritage activities and workshops that enabled visitors to learn about the emirate’s deeply rooted maritime and pearl-diving traditions. Through these experiences, the festival strengthened national identity and connected different generations by celebrating their unique heritage.
Ahmed Al Hashemi, Executive Director of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, EAD, said: “We are pleased to conclude the Abu Dhabi Pearls Festival, which supports the emirate’s vision to promote ecotourism and raise public awareness about the pivotal role played by the Abu Dhabi Pearls Centre in Al Mirfa City – the first of its kind in the region. The centre’s objective is to sustainably farm pearls by adopting the latest technologies and innovations while highlighting the UAE’s traditions and heritage, focused on four main elements: awareness and education, marketing, studies and research, and ecotourism, under which we aim to establish Abu Dhabi Pearls Centre as an ecotourism destination in the region.”
The festival also featured several engaging discussion sessions with participants from the UAE and other Gulf countries with experience and knowledge of diving, pearls, and the environment. Experts discussed the marine cultural heritage of the Arabian Gulf, explored diving methods of the past and associated traditions, and examined how the profession developed over time, as well as highlighting different types of pearls found in the Gulf, in addition to discussing ways to educate young people about this ancient heritage.
