Page 191 - DILMUN NO 20

Historical Links between lndia and the GuIf

‫ﺑﻲ‬٩٩٨٠

Qurayshi merchants ran caravan trade from Mecca to Yemen, the Gulf, and
Damascus where they bought the prestigious goods of lndia. lndian
merchandise, like spices, incense, perfumes, medicines, leather, silk, and
swords, were carried to the above destinations by merchants from Easterm
and Southern Arabia, many of whom settled down in india, particularly in
Malabar, in pre-lslamic times and became known by the name "Moppalas".
Their "successors still caryr this name and are large in nunber in different
parts of the present Kerala State'. 13

The period also witnessed the immigration of a large number of lndians to
different parts of the Gulf coast, either to establish business or to seek
employment by Arab traders, or just to escape instability at home. Whal
probably facilitated the process was the fact that parts of india and Eastern
Arabia were at this itme under one authority, the Persian Emp‫ﺕ‬re.

According to Athar Mubarekpuri, one of the seven Indian groups which
migrated to Arabia and seltted down in Bahrain, Oman, and Ubulla (Basra) in
pre-lslamic times was the '2uth', known in lndia as Jats. 14 The 2uths are
repeatedly mentioned in Arab history because, after being converted t٥
lslam, they spread all over Arabia, lraq, and Syria and took part in many
major events while living together in large groups and preseving their own
language, culture, and custom. However, there is a great deal of controversy
over the 2uth's origin 15 although the majority of historians tend to believe
that they came from lndia.

Other tribes that migrated from lndia to Arabia include 'Maids' who left their
home between Sind and Gujarat to settle down along the Gulf coast and
became soldiers in the Persian armies, or to move in the Gulf's waters
conducting piracy. 16

Also mentioned in Arab accounts are the 'Siabja', This was an lndian tribe
whose members were employed by Arabia's merchants to guard their
vessels and defend them against p‫ﺕ‬rates.17 Like the 2uths, the Siabja lived
along the Gulf coasts and after their embrace of ١slam they were given
permission to reside in Basra and to spread over the Syrian coasts. 18