Page 169 - DILMUN NO 20

Historical Links between lndia and the Gu‫ﺇ‬f

of high taxation and harassment caused by the ruling Ottoman Authorities,
Bahrain's lndian merchants used their money and influence between 1880-
1903 to convince the British to establish an Agency in Alahsa for the purpose
of protecting their brothers there. 93
Finally, there were many lndians who succeeded in establishing strong
business communities in Hijaz using the pilgrimage access. Many of today's
prosperous merchants in Mecca and Madina are of lndian descent whose
ancestors came on the pilgrimage and stayed rather than returning to lndia.