Exportable Indian Commodities in The Accounts of Early Arab Writers

Trade relations between India and Arabia were extensive in the period before the advent of Islam. These commercial relations increased after the rise of Islam. With the spread of writing tradition among the Arabs some voyagers started to preserve their experiences in the form of books. These books contain description of trade routes, sea-ports and commercial commodities. In this paper an attempt has been taken to present a brief account on Indian (including Bengal) commodities according to the description of early Arab geographers and travellers. The paper will explore the position of India and Bengal in international trade in those early days.