Imran Abdullah

The inhabitants of coastal cities know different myths that sometimes explain the incidents that occur to seafarers at sea, or even used to intimidate children of its gravity; the inhabitants of the Persian Gulf have known the "myth of Abu Driah", which means Persian "father of the sea."

Gulf folklore stories dealt with the legend of the mysterious evil creature living in the depths of the water and sneaking into the boats of the fishermen between dinner and dawn to kidnap one of the sailors and devour him and attack ships to sink, and folk tales in the Gulf countries address the adventures of seafarers and the courage of pearl divers in the face of the huge sea harvest.

This story has different versions in the Gulf countries, pointing to the importance of fishing, diving and pearl search in the Gulf culture, especially in Qatar, where the folklore of its people and their literature has been inspired and strong relationship with the sea, which was the source of living for several generations from prehistoric times until the discovery of modern oil and gas. According to the Journal of the Center for Arab Studies at the University of Bucharest.

Master of the Seas
The population of the Sahel in the Arabian Gulf countries circulated multiple popular accounts of "Abu Driah", and the stories of the malicious genie or half-man and half-fish with a huge tail, which lives in the waters of the Gulf.

The story of the legendary creature is an Arab counterpart to the legends of the literary seas that are known globally, such as the novel "The Old and the Sea" by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, which won the Nobel Prize in the middle of the last century, in which he talked about the story of the old fisherman who caught a huge fish for days and nights of trying to bring it to the beach.

Like Hemingway's novel in Havana, Cuba, Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is best known for the conflict between a giant whale and oceanic fishermen.

Unlike the famous image in Arabic literature of the sea as a source of inspiration and inspiration, the Gulf myth presents a corresponding picture of the frightening and terrifying mysterious sea that has not yet been discovered or beyond the mystery and deep secrets.

Sea Literature
While for the Arabs the sea was a gateway to trade, excursions, pilgrimage, or space for conquest and conquest, the Gulf was known for its fishing traditions and manners. The British archive documents have preserved stunning historical sources on fishing routes, tools and areas in the Arabian Gulf, with detailed descriptions of the types of ships, fish and Gulf coasts.

Pearls were considered to be a Gulf workmanship.Gulf residents knew diving, pearl mining, processing and trade with India and others, but the historical profession that constituted a source of income for the people of the Arabian Gulf coasts began to gradually decline in the twentieth century, with the emergence of artificial pearls and the discovery of oil and gas in the region.

Because of the importance of fishing and pearls, folk literature in the Gulf is known for its literature and songs dealing with the courage of seafarers and fishermen and the skill of divers in collecting pearls and avoiding dangerous sea animals and sharks.

As an Arab counterpart to the myths of the sea girl, the sea bride and the Western Greek man of ancient Greek origin, the Arabian Gulf inhabitants - especially fishermen, sailors and divers - knew the myth of Abu Driya, who was described in descriptions similar to what was known in the Arab heritage as "the man of water."

In his book "The Great Animal Life", Kamal al-Din al-Dumayri wrote 1341-1405 about the guilt-water man, also called the Sheikh of the Sea.

Diver's clothing and pearl nets at Qatar National Museum (Al Jazeera)

Country effects
Archaeological excavations were unearthed in 1957 at Jabal al-Jassasiya on Qatar's northeast coast, the first rock sculpture depicting inscriptions of boats and oars that demonstrate ancient links between the local population and the sea.

In the white cliffs of Ras Barouq on the west coast of Qatar, there are traces of human existence dating back to prehistoric times, and discovered in this site ancient traces, including fishing tools made of flint stone.

On the island of Bin Ghannam on the east coast of Qatar, traces of hikers and pearl divers were found in the beginning of the second millennium BC, and served as a camp for pearl fishing trips during the Sassanid era and a fishing center during the late Islamic times.

Qatar is interested in local heritage traditions and folklore, and there are many festivals and cultural events that deal with the traditions of diving and pearls, and the relationship between the Qatari community and the sea was strong and inspiring as the sea formed the horizon of the coast and the source of living for generations.