By Salma Ghalwash
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – The strengthened ties between India and the Gulf states have ancient roots, said American University of Sharjah History Professor and Ahmed Sediqqi Chair of Gulf and Middle Eastern Studies Dr. James Onley, during his inaugural lecture on Feb. 14.
Onley’s lecture, which was titled “India and the Gulf: A Survey of 4,600 Years of Trade and Cultural Contact,” overviewed cultural and commercial connections between the two regions.
According to Onley, India’s maritime trade with the Gulf dates back to the invention of ships in the third millennium B.C. India influenced Gulf material culture from architecture to clothing, he said.
Until the 1950s, the Gulf saw India’s ports as “more economically important than any Middle Eastern city,” Onley said. After the oil era, the Gulf’s economy reoriented toward the West and the Arab world, he added.
“Today, the Indian connection is more apparent than ever because trade with India has returned to its historic levels of intensity,” said Onley.
The Gulf also influenced India. Onley said that the Indian subcontinent developed a collective identity through its interaction with the Gulf. But these shared historical ties have been left out of modern national narratives, he said.
A video of the presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ErFFasZzY
