Page 222 - UAE Truncal States

The Traditional Economics

cooking bul only for making coffee and lea, and as embers for the
incense-burner. In a well-off household where guests were expected
frequently, the coffee pots, for several are required for the best result,
would be kept hot all the time on the charcoal embers contained in a
metal tray.

8 Conclusion
In the settlements of the Trucial Stales the few locally-made items
were almost all consumed within the community itself. There was no
surplus of resources from which to manufacture exportable goods. A
quotation from Lorimercan be used to summarise this chapter on the
traditional economy and lead into the next chapter on the social
implications of this situation. “In face of the facts it does not seem
unreasonable to hold that all sources of profit here are subsidiary to
pearl diving, and that if the pearl banks were to fail this coast would
shortly be depopulated."01

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