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This balance is a simple two-piece copper bowls, an important tool in the Pearl Merchant's Bishtakhta, used to weigh pearls after they've been seived for size.
© National Museum of Qatar
20th century
Object Name: Balance scale
Period: 20th century
Date: 1900-1999
Provenance: India
Dimensions: 27cmx10.5cmx4.1cm
Medium: copper alloy,silk thread,cotton thread
Registration Number: QNM.2010.1.21.1
Place Of Discovery/Findspot:  Qatar
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The balance consists of two copper alloy hemispherical bowls suspended by four silk threads in each from a brass beam, suspended from a fulcrum with an extremely delicately fashioned indicator needle. There is a hole in the top of the indicator needle frame with a fine brass wire ring holding a red and white silk tassel.
The balance is kept in a purpose-made copper alloy box fitted with a swivel top that is held by a clasp opposite the hinge. The top of the box is decorated with finely incised concentric circles enclosing a six pedaled floral motif. The top of the box is stamped with an inscription: “ M.H. AHMEDA(R)AN.”
A ring and tangential cylindrical bar-shaped pad made of bundled cotton fibers, wrapped in loose plain woven gauze and wrapped with string fits into the box to hold the balance in place. The interior of the box is coated with a thick layer of translucent red paint. The paint is soluble in acetone and toluene, less soluble in ethanol and insoluble in water.
There are black felt tip pen numbers and letters in various locations on the surface; the letters are extremely soluble in acetone. On the top and side: “٧٥٤”. On the bottom: ١٣٧ں۟"”
HISTORICAL CONTEXT QATAR
The Qatar Peninsula is surrounded by sea except in the south where it connects with its neighbours from the Arabian Peninsula. For hundreds of years people have shared the land, resources and knowledge inherited from their environment. With no fixed lifestyle in terms of time and place, people moved easily and freely between land and sea for trade, livestock, pearl diving, fishing, and hunting at various times throughout the year. This symbiotic relationship between the people and their environment was represented in the unity of their societies, including the exchange of knowledge, stories and the trading of available goods.

A distinctive characteristic of life on the Qatar Peninsula has long been the close association between the coast and the desert – al barr. Some desert tribes spent several months of the year in coastal cities, setting up semi-permanent residences to participate in pearl diving or fishing. Similarly, coastal residents occasionally moved to al barr during the winter to graze their livestock. This exchange of natural resources and the influence of different environments has contributed to the creation of a unique community.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT - REGION/GULF/WORLD
The presence of British, French and Dutch trading companies in the Gulf from the early 1600s brought uncertainty to the region, with unstable alliances and intense competition over trade routes. As trade flourished, however, the strength of the Arab tribes increased. Many Arab tribes moved from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula to Qatar, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, most of the major towns of the Gulf were founded. Several towns flourished on the Qatari coast, including Huwailah, Khor Hassan, Fuwairat, Ruwaida, Freiha, Al Bidda and Doha. The most notable was Al Zubara which became a hub for the Gulf pearl trade.
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Gallery 7