World's oldest pearl discovered in UAE

Dubai, June 10 (ANI): The oldest pearl in history which dates back to the Neolithic age - some 7,500 years old - has been found in the UAE.

The French National Centre for Scientific Research announced on Thursday that gem specialists believed that the oldest pearl known goes back to 3000 BC and was found at an antiquity site in Japan.

The centre added that the pearl that was discovered lately in Umm Al Quwain goes back to 5500 BC after it was tested by Carbon 14.

Thus, they added the pearl is the oldest known in the Arabian Peninsula and across the world.

This newly discovered pearl along with other pearls found along the south western shores of the Arabian peninsula indicates that this region witnessed the oldest clam hunting activity in the world for the value of pearls aesthetically and for special rituals, Gulf News reported.

Researchers at the centre clarified that natural pearls were important in funeral rituals where un-pierced pearls used to be delivered at the Umm Al Quwain cemetery and others where they were placed over the deceased's face, especially over the upper lip.

This new discovery shows the importance of pearls in old societies of the Arab Gulf and the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and made up an important element of its cultural identity. (ANI)