ABSTRACT
Itwasnaturalthatthesepoliticaldevelopmentsshouldaffect commercialrelationsandcommercialactivityintheArabianGulf areaingeneralinapositiveandatthesametimeanegativeway.The politicalandmilitarytensionsthatarosebetweenthePersiansand theGreeksinSyriaandMesopotamiaandspreadtotakeinal-Hira andsouthernIraqledtothedisruptionofthetraderoutesinthe area.TherouteIndia-ArabianGulf-Bahrainbyseaandthenoverland viatheBasradesert-al-Hira-TadmurtotheMediterraneanportswas reckonedincommercetobeashortonecomparedtothetwosea routes:eitherOman-ArabianSea-Yemen-RedSea-'Ailahbyseaand thenoverlandviaPetratotheMediterranean;orArabianSea-Yemen byseaandthenoverlandtotheMediterraneanthroughYemen, MakkahandPetra,yetthatrouteviaBahraindidhaveaninfluenceon thepoliticalfactorsprevailingintheareaofconflictbetweenthe Persians,theGreeksandtheRomans.Thereareinanycase numerousindicationsofthestrongcommerciallinksthemerchants ofal-HiraandTadmurhadwithBahrain.Gerrhaplayedanimportant partincommercialtransporttoMakkah,MedinaandPetra,and duringthisperiodUbullawasanimportantmarketforpearlsfrom BahrainandtheArabianGulf;datesandspiceswerebroughtthere fromBahrain,andurjuwani(purple-dyedsilk)fromPhoenicia;ships ladenwithspices,sandalwoodandcopperusedtoarrivetherefrom IndiaafterpassingthroughtheGulfviaBahrain.Therewere commerciallinksbetweenKarkhMaysanandBahrain,forthe merchantsofMaysanusedtoexporttheirmerchandise,suchassilks importedfromtheMediterraneanportsandPhoenicia,andwine,to theArabianGulf.TheGreekwineknownasya/aniwhichthe
merchantsofMaysancarriedwasrenowned,fortheycarriedittothe ArabianGulfandtoIndia.3ThemarketofHajarwasanotherofthe famousArabmarkets,heldinthemonthofRabiIIeveryyearand attendedbymerchantsfromavarietyofArabcountries.4
