bahrainthismonth.com | AUGUST 2026 INDIA IN BAHRAIN 18 Partners Through Time Ancient Foundations The story begins with the ancient civilisation of Dilmun, centred in present-day Bahrain, and its extensive trade with the Indus Valley Civilisation along India’s west coast. Merchant vessels carried Bahrain’s prized natural pearls eastward, returning with spices, textiles and other valuable goods. These maritime routes established Bahrain as an important commercial gateway linking Mesopotamia with the Indian subcontinent. As Bahrain’s reputation as the world’s leading source of natural pearls grew, Indian merchants became central to the Kingdom’s flourishing pearling industry. Trading families, particularly from Gujarat and India’s western coast, helped connect Bahraini pearls with international markets while establishing lasting commercial and community ties that contributed to Bahrain’s cosmopolitan character. The relationship became so deeply rooted that, during Bahrain’s time as a British protectorate, the Indian Rupee served as legal tender in the Kingdom until 1965, reflecting the close commercial ties between the two economies. For more than 5,000 years, Bahrain and India have been connected by far more than trade routes. Linked by the waters of the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, the two nations have built a relationship founded on commerce, cultural exchange and mutual trust, one that has endured through changing empires, evolving economies and generations of people.
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