Sulaiman al-Tajir
Sulaiman or Soleiman al-Tajir (Arabic for "Soloman the Merchant", Persian: سلیمان تاجر) was a 9th-century Persian Muslim merchant, traveler and writer initially from Siraf in modern-day Iran. He traveled to India and China and wrote an account of his voyages around AD 850.
In 851 he traveled to Guangzhou, Tang China, and marveled at the excellent quality of porcelain there.
Historical Accounts
Sulaiman visited India during the time of the Pala Empire, which then ruled present day West Bengal and Assam provinces of India and present day Bangladesh. He calls Pala kingdom 'Ruhma' and attests to their military power.
He has also described Mihira Bhoja, one of the greatest Pratihara emperors. Mihira Bhoja was a bitter enemy of the Arab invaders [1]who, according to Sulaiman, maintained a large army and had a fine cavalry.[1]
During his stay in the city of Guangzhou he noted that the Chinese used fingerprint records to maintain the identities of newly arrived foreigners, charged extortionate rates for imported goods and that the route to China by sea was dangerous due to piracy and frequent rain. He mentions that the local Muslim populace of Guangzhou had their own Mosque and bazaars. He mentioned that the Muslim community had its own Imam and Judge (appointed by Emperor Xuānzong of Tang).[2] He also observed the manufacturing of porcelain, the granary system of Guangzhou, tea consumption and how its municipal administration functioned.[3]
After arriving home from China with goods he landed at Basra and then traveled to Baghdad.
See also
References
- ^ a b Radhey Shyam Chaurasia (2002). History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 207. ISBN 978-81-269-0027-5.
He was undoubtedly one of the outstanding political figures of India in ninth century and ranks with Dhruva and Dharmapala as a great general and empire builder.
- ^ http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/China%201.pdf
- ^ Sluglett, Peter; Currie, Andrew (2014). Atlas of Islamic History. New York: Routledge. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-138-82130-9.
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