Diving for treasures

Kuwaiti divers (above) get ready to search for oyster shells containing pearls off the port of Khairan, 100km south of Kuwait City, during the pearl-diving season yesterday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Kuwaiti divers (left) get ready to search for oyster shells (above) containing pearls off the port of Khairan, 100km south of Kuwait City, during the pearl-diving season yesterday. Pearl-diving trips are held annually under the patronage of the Kuwai
Kuwaiti divers get ready to search for oyster shells (above) containing pearls off the port of Khairan, 100km south of Kuwait City, during the pearl-diving season yesterday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Kuwaiti divers get ready to search for oyster shells containing pearls off the port of Khairan, 100km south of Kuwait City, during the pearl-diving season yesterday. Pearl-diving trips are held annually under the patronage of the Kuwaiti Emir, to keep alive the traditions which accompanied the once-important national pearl trade before the discovery of the country's oil wealth.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 12, 2015, with the headline Diving for treasures. Subscribe