Arab explorers in the Indian Ocean

developments as depicted in Arab and Sanskrit texts as Indian scholars visited Baghdad, bringing Sanskrit works on science and astronomy to be translated. Eventually, Islam began to affect Indians, particularly on the western coast of Malabar, Konkan and Gujarat, from where many Indians are said to have settled in Oman. The complex trade links are surmised by Risso’s account of the Indian and Omani merchants (commonly called ‘northern traders’): “The Masqati vessels sailed south with products of the Gulf area and Uman dates, sulphur, incense, dye roots, shark fins, almonds, rose water, pearls and medicines”18. With the coming of Islam, not only was the mercantile relationship enhanced, but a deeper relationship, encompassing religious and cultural affiliation was initiated and, in time, consolidated.

While Muslims came to north India as warriors by the 10th century CE, in southern India they came as merchants and travellers, following centuries-old tradition, and were cordially welcomed by local rulers. Indian ships moved out of the port of Broach, Cambay and Mandvi in Gujarat for Arab and African coastal towns carrying wood, rice, edible oil, cotton and honey, and brought back pearls, dates and wine. The teak wood used by Omani and Yemeni sailors to make their boats came from Malabar, on the western coast of Kerala. In the absence of iron nails, the boats were constructed in the “stitch and sew” tradition, being bound together with coir ropes from coconut plantations along the Indian Ocean littoral.

Arab explorers in the Indian Ocean

The history of India’s contact with the Arab world goes back to ancient times, long before the rise of Islam or the Muslim conquest of South Asia when sailors in the region, facilitated by the knowledge of the monsoon winds, plied their ships across the seas and established commercial and cultural relations with each other. In fact, by the time Marco Polo set out to explore East Asia in the 13th century, communities across Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean had been exchanging their wares for thousands of years in a vast network driven by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. Arab travellers to India also showed deep interest in Indian religion and culture and translated several Indian sacred and literary texts into Arabic. Indian wood was found in the Sumerian sites, possibly used for construction of boats. In fact, Abu Zayd, the Arab traveller of the 9th century CE noted: “The Arabs of Umman (Oman) take the carpenters’ tool-box with them and go to the

18 Risso, P. (1986). Oman & Muscat: An Early Modern History.