Arab Dhow

India Trade was an international enterprise, and along with the enormous wealth brought to India through trade, Indian culture was greatly enriched by communities of foreign traders who settled in India to engage in different aspects of India Trade. Contributions of Arabs, Jews and Christians from the Middle East and Moors from Africa are still reflected in the cultural landscape of the West Coast of India. This illustration from one of the greatest illuminated manuscripts of all time, a compendium of tales by al-Hariri from the 13th century, shows an Arab Dhow, a small sailing vessel of the type that dominated the Indian Ocean trade between Africa, the Middle East and India for centuries.