Arabs have known Indian life since pre-Islamic time: Emirati authors
How Arabs see Indians hasn’t changed. Our friendship pre-dates the propagation of Islam and our ties are based on several pillars.”
Nasser Al Dhaheri, author
Since time immemorial, these two civilisations have been in constant contact with the exchange of goods, ideas and cultures.”
Sultan Al Amimi, author
sharjah — Ancient Arab travellers, including master chronicler Ibn Battuta, had always known what it was like to live in India, and leading Emirati authors have shared how Arabs’ perception of Indians hasn’t changed through the years.
The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) on Monday held a session titled ‘India in Arab Travel Literature’ at the 27th New Delhi World Book Fair. Popular Emirati authors Nasser Al Dhaheri, Sultan Al Amimi and Dr Mohammad bin Jarsh spoke about how Arab travellers, explorers and merchants wrote about their trips to India.
Al Dhaheri said: “When IndoArab relations are compared to the relations between other countries, we see consistency through the ages. How Arabs see Indians hasn’t changed. Our friendship pre-dates the propagation of Islam and our ties are based on several pillars, including trade, culture and knowledge exchange.”
He cited some examples, including the records of the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta.
“Ibn Battuta’s travel writings offer us a great glimpse of traditional Indian practices, wedding customs, celebrations, down to the detail of India’s famous pan-eating tradition,” Al Dhaheri said.
He also mentioned Kalila waDimna (Kalila and Dimna), the widely circulated collection of Oriental fables of Indian origin, composed in Sanskrit possibly as early as the third century BC, and translated into Arabic in the eighth century by the Persian Ibn Al Muqaffa, a highly educated writer.
Al Amimi said: “Since time immemorial, these two civilisations have been in constant contact with the exchange of goods, ideas, cultures and peoples.
“Arab merchant Suleiman and his colleague Bin Wahab travelled to India, Ceylon and further into China by sea in the lookout for trade. Arab author Abu Yazeed Al Sirafi chronicled the travels of these two merchants in his book written in the ninth century and is titled Al Sirafi’s Journey.”
He also said there’s a wealth of Arabic literature in the UAE and the Gulf that describes in “great detail” India’s navigation history, customs, traditions and lifestyles practised across several cities in the country.
Bin Jarsh, on the other hand, read excerpts from about three to four works of Arab travel writers chronicling their own personal encounters with merchants, pilgrims and others in India and the larger subcontinent.
“Saudi Arabian author Mohammed bin Nasser Al Aboudi wrote Al Rehalat Al Hindiya Fi Wassat Al Hind (Indian Journeys in Central India), which beautifully describes journeys taken by our people of the past and stories passed on from one person to another,” he said.