Page 27 - Journal of the Cenral Asian Society (1960)

THE REGION OF THE PERSIAN Gl'LF AND ITS
JEWISH SETTLEMENTS IN ISLAMIC TIMES

By Walter J. Risen el

1

Introduction

It has rightly been observed that the inland waters known as
the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea resemble two arms which nature
has stretched out in order to unite India and Europe. Both are.
indeed, two great almost parallel prolongations of the Indian
Ocean penetrating in to the very center of the Old World and
giving access to and from Europe. The annals of the Persian Gull
in general are well known, for it has been one of tlie most impor­
tant maritime highways for the commerce of the world, one of the
great arteries of communication, into u hich people of all races and
creeds have incessantly sent their messengers, their armies, en­
voys, diplomats, merchants, explorers, missionaries and scholars.'
Strangely enough, however, this region of the Persian Gulf
has escaped the attention of Jewish scholars, and it remained an
utterly neglected and unknown territory on the map of the Jewish
Diaspora.
The following study is intended to till in that gap and to outline
the connection of the Persian Gulf with Jews and Jewish events
from Islamic times on and to show that this region has been a
seat of Jewish settlement throughout the ages and a scene of
Jewish activity and creativeness.**
1 There exists a considerable literature on the Persian Gulf and its history.
It might be sufficient to refer here onl\ in Arnold T. Wilson: The Persian
Gulf, an historical >kelt h from :he earhot times to the luxinmng of the 'nth
Century, Oxford 1928: probably the nto-t recent and comprehensive survey
with a valuable bibliography. Sceal-o: 1\ Yudula: l.e ~ohe persitfue. Paris. P*2I.
1 This study suggested it-elf to the author when he. in the fall of 19-10. flew
over the whole region of the I'er-ian Gulf on route from Palestine via Basra
to India. Au.-tralia. and the l*. S. \.
:n;