Bahrain-Kerala ties 3500 yrs old: Expert

Manama : There are solid historic evidence to prove that relations between Bahrain and the Indian state of Kerala go back to generations, said Alexander Jacob, a scholar and retired Indian Police Service officer.  

Speaking to DT News, Jacob said that Bahrain and the Kerala have enjoyed strong trade relationship dating back to 3500 years and these countries have culturally influenced each other during the process.

Jacob said that Bahrain,  known in ancient times as Dilmun, was an important centre of trade by the third  millennium and the Kingdom’s  port played an important role in trade relations.

 In the olden days, traders from South India would have a sojourn at the Bahrain port before proceeding to Egypt, Jerusalem and other Middle Eastern destinations. The first evidence of the trade relations between Kerala and the Middle Eastern countries come from the tomb of Ramesis II, the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE. The mummified body was discovered in 1974 and the pepper was subjected to DNA test and scientists have found that the pepper is same as the species grown in Kerala. This shows that the pepper from Kerala reached the shores of Nile via Bahrain. 

Moreover archaeologists have discovered that the pearls which were used to decorate  the mummy of  Ramesses II was from Bahrain, Alexander Jacob pointed out. Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization.

St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in AD 52 to spread the Christian faith, and is believed to have landed in Bahrain before proceeding to Kerala,  Jacob said.   

Malik Ibn Deenar, one of the first known Muslims to have come to India via Bahrain, was influential in propagating Islam in South Asia. Many words in Malayalam,  originated mostly due to the centuries long interactions between the native population of Kerala and the trading powers of the Arab  world.  The Arabic language contributes a large number of words into a dialect form of Malayalam that is spoken by the  Kerala  community. Common words like vakeel (lawyer) and  taluk (administrative division) have their roots in Arabic, said Alexander Jacob. 

Alexander Jacob, the former Director General of Police force in Kerala, is presently   the Nodal Officer of National University for Police Sciences and Security Studies (NUPSAS) and a member of Jail Reforms commission.  He was awarded the President’s ‘Police Medal’ for Meritorious Service by the President of India on the Republic Day, 2004. He arrived in the Kingdom to inaugurate the Sabarmathi Cultural Forums annual celebrations.