Amber dreams

Kuwait Times

a day ago

From prayer to prestige, Kuwait's enduring love for the mesbah has turned beads into symbols of culture, craftsmanship - and serious investment
By Fahad AlSayegh
In Kuwait and across the Arabian Gulf, beads - or as they're commonly called, mesbah - carry layered meanings. Often used for religious devotion, especially in tasbeeh (Islamic prayer recitation), the mesbah also serves as a fashion statement and a mark of prestige. Generations of Kuwaitis have held on to their mesbah not just as a spiritual tool, but as a personal talisman, companion and cultural emblem. Today, it's not unusual to see elders, adults, teenagers - even young children - clutching their beads in shopping malls, mosques or coffee shops. It has become more than a tradition - it's a cornerstone of Kuwaiti identity.
For over 120,000 years, humans have threaded stories through beads - tiny seashells, stones, seeds, or bits of glass transformed into something more. In North Africa and the Middle East, some of the oldest beads ever discovered serve as evidence that the art of beadmaking is among the earliest forms of human adornment. As our ancestors spread across the globe, they left behind trails of beads - each one a symbol of beauty, meaning and personal identity. According to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, beads are more than decoration - they reflect culture, individual aesthetics and the human desire to create and express.
Over time, what began as a spiritual practice has blossomed into a booming market. In Kuwait, bead collecting has evolved into a lucrative hobby, with collectors buying, selling and trading high-value beads - especially the sought-after amber beads, known locally as kahrab. This rise in popularity has sparked a question: Is Kuwait the number one country in the Gulf when it comes to beads?
To explore the answer, Kuwait Times visited one of the country's shopping malls, speaking to collectors, sellers and bead enthusiasts. 'Of course, it's number one,' said Majed Almutairi, a long-time customer at a renowned bead shop. 'Kuwait is the origin of beads in the Gulf. It has a long history in this field and is distinguished by the quality of its materials - whether it's old manufactured beads or amber.'
Khaled Alansari, who runs an online shop dedicated to selling beads, agreed wholeheartedly. 'Kuwait is definitely number one, without a doubt. Beads have been part of our culture for a long time, especially since we're Muslims and we use them frequently for tasbeeh. Also, here, the mesbah is considered a symbol of elegance and a traditional accessory for men.'
But perhaps the most passionate advocate for Kuwait's place at the top of the beads market is Hilal Algaoud, a beads expert working at a prestigious shop. 'Not only among Gulf countries - Kuwait is currently number one in the world, especially when it comes to amber,' he said. 'The first people who became passionate about amber were the Kuwaitis. Since the 1960s, Kuwaitis were the first to bring in amber; others followed. Kuwait is the amber capital of the world.'
He added that while other Gulf countries might specialize in different materials - like mastik or faturan - and the Levant is known for stones like turquoise, agate and coral, Kuwait remains unrivaled in its amber legacy. 'Other countries look up to us when it comes to kahrab,' he said. At Hilal's shop, he revealed, one particular set of amber beads once reached a bidding price of KD 90,000 - and still wasn't sold because the owner found the offer unsatisfactory. This leads to another compelling question: Why is kahrab so expensive?
'The passion for the hobby increases the value of the bead,' Majed explained. 'In addition to the stone's intrinsic worth, a bead made from rare amber is considered a form of saving or investment. You might even sell it for a higher price later.' Khaled added: 'The high price comes from the value of the stone itself, along with the cost of crafting and transforming it from raw material into a finished mesbah. Many also see it as a form of investment.'
Hilal pointed to modern trends and market shifts as well: 'Prices are high because they've become a trend,' he said. 'COVID-19 made prices spike. For example, the price of amber used to be KD 3 per gram. After the pandemic, it shot up to KD 15 per gram!' With values rising steadily, many now wonder - could amber one day rival the value of gold?
But beyond prices and markets, beads also carry deep personal stories. Many collectors trace their love for mesabeeh back to childhood. 'I used to sneak and steal amber beads from my father when I was a kid,' Majed laughed. 'One time, I took a rare amber mesbahah of the Macintosh type - and I lost it!'
Khaled shared his initiation into bead culture through a family moment. 'My father gave me a mesbahah as a gift and said, 'Now you're a man, you should carry one.' That moment stayed with me, and since then, I've fallen in love with mesabeeh.' Hilal, too, found his inspiration close to home. 'I was influenced by my father and by growing up in the Kuwaiti community, where beads are a big part of our culture,' he said.
In every bead lies a story - of heritage, pride and quiet luxury. For Kuwait, the mesbah is more than an accessory; it is a cultural compass, a handmade archive of personal and national history. As generations continue to pass the passion down, Kuwait's bead legacy - especially in amber - only grows more luminous, threading the past, present and future together in the warm glow of tradition.