Page 201 - DILMUN NO 20

‫ﻭ ﻡ‬٩ Hafisuiv niB

It is sai that Haji Yusuf, at th ag of fiftn, borrow ony to iport ats
fro raq, woo fro nia an oi an rops fro Africa to s to th how
captains an consurs of th rgion, Fro ths hub bginnings, h
bca w-known as a procurr, sighting gaps in th oca arkt, h wou
ispatch orrs to Bobay (whr atr h opn his first ovrsas offic)
or th East Coast of Africa, whrupon a bvy of goos wou rturn to
Bahrain for his awaiting cint. Worl of his riabiity spra quicky
throughout th rgion, an rchants bgan to turn to hi to iport th
proucts thy sought. ١n short, it was ft that if anyon cou gt it, Kanoo
cou.

h goowi h ha ngnr by nvr aing in infrior rchanis

an offring his goos at a fair pric assist Haji Yusuf in his ntry to par

traing, th ainstay of th Bahraini cono,y ucrativ but highy

coptitiv. By 1910, Kanoo was hr to stay. h British Agnt prsnt in

Bahrain at th ti, sai of hi, " Yusuf Bin Ah Kanoo has risn fro

bing a young an in quit a sa way of businss to on of th ost

rspctab an rspct rchants of Bahrain."

Europan an nian an for natura parls rach its pak in th

1920's. Bahrain act ssntiay as th par claring hous for th Guf

rgion, as Bahraini pars wr rput to b aong th finst in th wor.

h ain iving sason ast basicay fro i-May to at ptbr.

h "Nakhua", th captains of th par iving vsss, wou thn rturn to

shor with thir crw to s what pric thir catch wou ftch at th parl

brokrs. Paris was thn th par cntr of th Wst, with Bobay to th

East. Dars wou fock ach yar to purchas th sason's catch. Haj‫ﺃ‬

Yusuf bca invov in th brokrag si of th inustry. As a par

rchant, h conuct businss with ars fro th worl ovr, incuing

thos fro th faous "Hous of Cartir."

h 1920's wr a hay ti for Haji Yusuf Kanoo. hipping s a

natura xtnsion to his xport businss. Gray Macknzi, th British

shipping copany aray h th onopoy an Kanoo tri to brak nw

groun with so succss. h Arab tars, LN (Bobay) whos agncy

h acquir in 1911, h a th Moghu Lin in 1923, ivr-‫ﻝ‬ava Pacific

in in 1937, Mitsui Lin in 1938 an Lit Hogh in 1938. his chink, opn,

wou co to fruiiton in th yars foowing Worl War ١١.