On Monday, 8 September 2025, the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies organized the first lecture in its monthly lecture series for the 2025-2026 academic year. The lecture, titled “The Banyan Chronicle: A History of the Gulf Through an Indian Trading Community”, was delivered by writer and academic researcher Nader Kadhim and moderated by the head of the unit, Haider Saeed.

Kadhim begun by explaining that the Banyan were a Hindu Indian community that controlled port trade in the Gulf for centuries. They dominated Gulf trade from the 10th century until the mid-20th century, before dwindling into a small minority numbering only in the hundreds. Yet they remain settled in Gulf cities such as Manama, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Mutrah, among others.

Kadhim then turned to discuss the image of these communities in the Gulf. In the past, he explained, they were held in high regard, but this perception changed with the discovery of oil and the rise of new Indian labour migration. A different image emerged; one associated with middle-class and low-income workers, rather than elites.

He also traced the roots of Gulf-Indian trade relations, noting that they date back to the 3rd and 4th millennia BCE and continued strongly throughout the early Islamic period. India’s influence was evident not only on the Arabic language but also on clothing, cuisine, and architecture. The term “Banyan”, he explained, derives from Gujarati and Sanskrit origins meaning “merchant”. It refers to two main groups belonging to the Bhatia caste, who settled in Muscat and Bahrain.

Geographically, the Banyan are divided into two origins: the first group came from the Kutch region of Gujarat and remain in Muscat to this day, still controlling much of its trade. The second group originated from the town of Tatta in present-day Pakistan and settled in Bahrain, with some later moving to Dubai in the 1960s and 1970s.

The speaker went on to review the shifting centres of Gulf trade over the centuries, from Basra, to Siraf, Kish, Hormuz, and Bandar Abbas, before eventually settling in Muscat, which became the main hub by the end of the Safavid era. He noted that 1863 was a turning point for the Banyan in Muscat: religiously conservative rule led to restrictions that pushed many to migrate, shifting the commercial centre to Manama.

While the Banyan of Muscat faced fewer crises after 1868, Kadhim added that the Banyan of Bahrain experienced a tragic turn after the partition of India in 1947. Many migrated to Bahrain seeking a new homeland, doubling their numbers. Yet their role across the Gulf began to decline due to increasing commercial competition, the collapse of the pearl trade, the growing preference for Arab nationals in commerce, and, ultimately, Indian independence, which stripped them of British support and reduced them to a mere minority trading community.

Thus, Kadhim emphasized that the central question lies in identifying the moment when this powerful community began to decline after centuries of commercial dominance. While the factors were similar in Bahrain and Muscat, the contexts differed. Nevertheless, the presence of the Banyan remains a testament to the deep diversity of the Gulf’s coastal cities.