© The Author(s) 2019 1
P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. M. Quamar, India’s Saudi Policy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0794-2_
CHAPTER 1Introduction
Jaziratul Arab! This expression, literally meaning the Island of Arabia, has
been a common parlance in India for centuries. In that respect, the Arabian
Peninsula and Arabs have occupied a significant place in its psychology,
common sense and world-view long before the modern age. This is primar-
ily due to the strong historical linkages and cultural interactions between the
Indian subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula. Trade ties, land and maritime
forays, acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and spirituality were
some of the forces that brought the two land masses and their populations
closer and paved the way for the exchange of people, cultures, languages
and ideas. For example, Kalila wa Dimna, the most popular text for chil-
dren commonly used in the Arab world, is a translation of the ancient Indian
fable Panchatantra that travelled to the Peninsula through Arab and Persian
traders and travellers and eventually became integral to Arab folklore.
Similarly, the influence of Arab culture on southern coastal regions of
Malabar has been due to constant people-to-people contacts, and many
Arabic words and expressions are part of the common parlance in the local
vernaculars. Indeed, the expression ‘India’ is an Anglicized version of the
name that the Arabs gave to the lands beyond River Sindh, that is, Hind.
Some Arab authors also claim that India’s ancient name Bharat was also
given by the Arab traders and travellers who used to visit to the lands espe-
cially for trading spices, which in Arabic is called baharat (singular bahar).
Most interestingly, many traditional spice markets in the Arab world are
still known as souq al-hind or the Indian Market!