Pearl Divers

This is what slavery of Pearl Divers was like.

The greatest demand for labor, and consequently the greatest demand for slave labor, existed in the pearl diving industry of the Persian Gulf. Dating back until at least the middle ages, pearls were the region’s most important export, and the region’s economy almost entirely depended upon the harvesting and sale of pearls from the region’s rich pearl fisheries.

Come back to this page to find more insight on:

  • What Pearl Diver Slavery entailed
  • What pearl diving slavery looked like.
  • The complex labor networks surrounding the financing and harvesting of pearls
  • The dangers and difficulties associated with pearl diving
  • The experiences of pearl divers.
  • Statements from pearl divers