A Nakhuda was the captain of a pearling boat sailing in the Persian Gulf, typically from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (then the Trucial States).
Arabian Pearling vessels would typically take to sea with the Nakhuda, assistant Mijadimi, a singer Nahham, some eight divers Ghais, and ten haulers Saib. The cook on the vessel was titled Jallas. Larger boats would even include a Muttawa to lead prayers.[1][2]
The vessels ranged from the relatively small Banoosh to the 100-foot Jalboot, a corruption of the English term jollyboat.[3][4] The trade was lucrative - at the turn of the 19th century, revenues from the Gulf pearl trade were estimated at some £1,434,000, with an additional £30,439 of this earned from mother-of-pearl.[5]
In the early 20th century, Lorimer recorded 1200 boats involved in the trade across the Trucial States, each carrying an average crew of 18.[5]
- ^ "Pearls and Pearl Diving". Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
- ^ Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 184. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.
- ^ C., Peck, Malcolm (2010). The A to Z of the Gulf Arab States. Peck, Malcolm C. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 151. ISBN 9780810876361. OCLC 606770070.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Small sketches of brig off the Malabar coast 6 Jan 1853. Annotated - National Maritime Museum". collections.rmg.co.uk. Gooii Ltd. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
- ^ a b Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. pp. 182–3. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.