Page 91 - DILMUN 16_Neat

Malbar coasl and Surat, le had agents at Surat one of hom, Ali Bin Sultan, became

a ell-non figure in the mercantile society of Surat and as ery frequently

mentioned in the Dutch documents on the port. The Shaih as described there as

'the Great Arab Merchant Resident in cong'. I Shaih Rashid of Basidor, too, had

ships regularly

trading to the Malabar coast in the 1.2 Kung thus acquired considerable
prosperity from trade. It as reported that hen the Muscat Arabs attaced ung in
169, they plundered goods orth 6, Tomands (equialent to S18, Sterling).
Robert Coan rote in May 129, that "Bunder Bucher is a place of considerable
trade and their copper is to be had at 2 percent discount. I am incredible informed
Surat goods sell there admirably ell but the success of the oyage entirely depends
on buying and pulling up goods [ell] on this side ٠"# I٨ june, he noted that his
cargo of indigo had been ordered to be disposed of at Basidore and Bushehr, rather
than at Basra.

In the reg‫ﻫ‬onal trade, the commercial actiities of the Haalla centred on lining
the iner ports of the Gulf, such as those of the Arabian shore ith those in Persia.
Alqatif and AI'aqair ere the main ports of the Alhaalid tribe hich dominated
hte Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the eighteenth century, Khaalid
predominance had undoubtedly ensured a remarably peaceufl coast, alloing
commercial communities, such as the Utubi clans, to setle.9 With the excepiton of
Barhain, here the portuguese had once established a base in the sixteenht centur,y
large European essels did not manage to reach the ports of eastern Arabia. nI fact,
Bahrain, under the rule of jubara the poerful Haalla Shaih, became hte linch-pin
of Haalla tade.‫ ﺃ‬Eidence of Haalla commercial actiity can be seen in the
establismhent of Bushehr as a center for trading pearls hich came orig‫ﻫ‬nally rfom
the estern Coastb Kung became another center for pearls and for thoroughbrde
horses fromArabia, taing adantage of the restrictions on horse exports in Basra and
Gombroon. Pearls and horses ere traded for supplies of Indian and Persian
products.

Een the records of the East India Company reeal the essentially commercial and
peaceufl intenitons of the Haalla Arabs. Their relationship iht Shaih Rasihd of
Basidore in the second half of the 12's and early 1's is one example. In Apirl
12 the Shaih as accused by the English of dierting trade rfom Gombroon to his
on port of Basidu on the island of ishm. In an age of mercanitlist monopoly that
as an offence. But hat the Company demanded as a moiety of customs. In fact,
nothing came of the demana.1 Te Compan'ys serants continued to regard the
shiah as a persian subject long after the Arabs had come to regard themseles as
autotomous. hTe Chief, in trying to conince the persidency in Bombay to permit
anal force and could reduce him, ould not only be glad of our assisatnce to
proucre htem hte demands htey ahe to mae on ihm, on the behalf of hte ing 'but
olud aosl eb most ready and illing to aim at his utter desrtuciton ...II Een before

8