The oldest pearl in the world will be exposed to the public for the first time

The pearl will be presented at the Louvre Abu Dhabi during the exhibition "10,000 years of luxury", to be held from October 30 to February 18, according to a statement from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

An analysis with carbon 14 revealed that the rock layers from which the bead originated date from 5,000 to 5,800 BC, during the Neolithic period.

"The discovery of the world's oldest pearl in Abu Dhabi clearly shows that much of our recent economic and cultural history has deep roots going back to the beginnings of prehistory."Mohamed Jalifa al-Mubarak, head of the department, said in a statement.

The experts suggested that the pearls had been traded with Mesopotamia for ceramics and other goods, or had been used as jewelry, according to the same source.

The canine industry flourished in the Gulf until the 1930s, when the first discoveries of oil were made and cultured pearls appeared.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition explores the very notion of luxury, its changing meaning over the centuries through 350 objects, especially from French museums.