ABSTRACT
The Afghânî invasion and civil wars in the early part of the century had disrupted Persian trade and had forced a considerable number of merchants to look for alternative markets. These merchants included Indians from Sind, Cambay, Cutch, and Arabs from Masqat and other ʿUmânî ports, which now began to sail more frequently to Cochin on the Malabar coast, where the Dutch had a factory. The disruption of Gulf and Indian trade adversely affected ʿUmânî merchants as it did others, but the alterations of trade patterns quickly afforded new opportunities. The Bombay presidency occasionally bought African slaves from the Masqaţ market. The British did not realize the extent of Masqaţ's trade until the 1790s; but as it threatened British private rather than Company trade, even then the records and reports remained inadequate. Successive decades proved increasingly favorable but it was not until after Aḩmad's time that ʿUmân had an aggressive commercial/maritime policy.
