Africa and India are connected by the
Indian Ocean. The geographical proximity between the
Horn of Africa and the
Indian subcontinent has played an important role in the development of the relationship since ancient times.
Ancient trade relations , 227–235 AD, with Greek inscriptions. The left one reads , "King of Axum", and the right one , "King Endybis". Indo-African relations date back to the Bronze Age period of the
Indus Valley civilization,
Pearl millet first domesticated in Africa have been discovered from the site of
Chanhu Daro and there is at least one burial of African women from the same site as well, it is thus postulated that Indus valley maritime activities included journey to the horn of Africa and bringing back African crops along with African diaspora to the Indus valley since Pearl millet was cultivated in South Asia since 2nd millennium BC but there is no such evidence from the Near East. Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of
Ramesses II, placed there as part of the
mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE. In the 2nd century BC the Greek's accounts of Ptolmaic Egypt and its trade relations mention Indian ships making the trip and Greeks began to utilize this knowledge from Indian sailors to conduct maritime activities in the Indian Ocean and conduct business with the Indians directly instead of relying on the middle men, when Romans replaced the Greek administration in Egypt, this began a 400-year period of
trade relations between the Roman Empire and India.
Periplus Maris Erythraei (
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea),—which dates to mid-first century—refers to trade relations between the
Kingdom of Aksum and
Ancient India around the first millennium. Helped by the
monsoon winds, merchants traded
cotton,
glass beads and other goods in exchange for
gold and
soft-carved ivory. The influence of the
Indian architecture on the African kingdom shows the level of trade development between the two civilizations. Under
Ptolemaic rule, Ancient Egypt dispatched two trade delegations to India. The Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and India had developed bilateral trade using the
Red Sea and Indian ports. Controlling the western and northern end of other trade routes to
Southern Arabia and India, the Ptolemies had begun to exploit trading opportunities with India prior to the Roman involvement but according to the historian
Strabo the volume of commerce between India and Greece was not comparable to that of later Indian-Roman trade. The
Periplus Maris Erythraei mentions a time when sea trade between India and Egypt did not involve direct sailings. In India, the ports of
Barbaricum (modern
Karachi),
Barygaza,
Muziris,
Korkai,
Kaveripattinam and
Arikamedu on the southern tip of India were the main centers of this trade. The
Periplus Maris Erythraei describes Greco-Roman merchants selling in Barbaricum "thin clothing, figured linens,
topaz,
coral,
storax,
frankincense, vessels of glass, and silver and gold plate" in exchange for "
costus,
bdellium,
lycium,
nard,
turquoise,
lapis lazuli, Seric skins, cotton cloth,
silk yarn, and
indigo". In Barygaza, they would buy wheat, rice, sesame oil, cotton and cloth. Traces of Indian influences are visible in Roman works of silver and ivory, or in Egyptian cotton and silk fabrics. The Indian presence in Alexandria may have influenced the culture but little is known about the manner of this influence.
Medieval period relations Relations attained stronger levels during
medieval times due to the development of
trade routes between the
Mediterranean and
Asia, through
Arabia (see also:
Indo-Mediterranean). The
Islamic conquest of Indian subcontinent also further deepened relations with
Islamic states in
North Africa.
Zheng He, a Chinese admiral met with the
Malindi envoy present in
Bengal. The Malindi traders had brought tribute of
Giraffe for the
Bengal sultan, so they gave one to the Chinese as well. Indian Hindu traders were reportedly present according to the records of
Vasco da Gama in the south eastern African coast of
Mozambique.
African heritage in India Aside from the aforementioned Aksumite trade with India, the documented presence of Africans in India dates back to the eighth century CE. These was due to
slave trade in the Indian Ocean, where non-Muslim enslaved Africans, who were sold to India to mainly to serve as
eunuch bodyguards of high-ranking Muslim officials & their
harems (quarters for Muslim concubines & enslaved Hindu women) &
zenanas were freed from slavery by their owners and appointed in high offices after converting to Islam. Several Africans played an important role in different Indian dynasties. The first Habshi, of whom there is a historical record, was probably Jamal al-Din Yaqut, royal courtier in the
Sultanate of Delhi, in the north of the sub-continent.
Habshis were also reported in the interior of northern India.
Ibn Battuta recalls that at Alapur, the Governor was the Abyssinian Badr. A man whose bravery passed into a proverb. Some of the Africans who rose to positions of considerable importance were:
Malik Ambar,
Malik Sarwar,
Mubarak Shah,
Ibrahim Shah, Malik Andil, Malik Sandal, Yaqut Dabuli Habshi, Ikhlas Khan,
Dilawar Khan, Khavass Khan etc. Many formerly enslaved African Muslims also rose up the ranks to become
Sultans in areas like
Bengal,
Jaunpur &
Malwa. Their role in the History of India is Significant. The Africans, who arrived in
Hyderabad apart from playing their traditional role as bonded guards and servants, were recruited as the
Nizam's private bodyguard. The Siddi Risala (African Regiment) was retained until 1948. Other Siddis were elevated to the status of Khanazahs (proteges) and became trusted advisers of the Nizams.
Under the rule of the British Empire During the
British colonial rule in the Indian Subcontinent and large parts of Africa, the Indian city of
Mumbai was already a center of
ivory trade between
East Africa and
Britain. The stay of
Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa between 1893 and 1915 remains one of the main events which paved the road to the modern-day political relations. == Modern-day relations ==