Dr. Mohar Ali’s study outlines archaeological and historical evidence of early Muslim presence in Bengal’s coastal areas. Excavations at Paharpur in Rajshahi during 1937–38 uncovered a coin from the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid dated 788 CE, while two similar coins were found at Mainamati in Comilla. These findings suggest that Arab traders or missionaries reached Bengal by the 8th or 9th century. The mention of the term ‘Tajik’ in a 9th–10th century inscription further supports contact with Arab or Persian merchants.
The article discusses scholarly debates on whether Arab traders established permanent settlements in Bengal. Historical records from Arakan describe a shipwreck around 780–810 CE that led surviving Arabs to settle near Chittagong. Later accounts mention a local leader named Thura-tan, possibly derived from the Arabic ‘Sultan,’ indicating a Muslim colony’s growth. Scholars like Dr. Muhammad Enamul Haq and Dr. M.A. Rahim interpret this as evidence of an early Muslim community rather than a formal kingdom.
The study concludes that Arab merchants likely settled in Chittagong and Noakhali long before Muslim military conquests, with linguistic traces such as the possible Arabic origin of the name ‘Chittagong’ reinforcing this early connection.
ড. মোহর আলি প্রকাশ : ০৮ জানুয়ারি ২০২৬, ১১: ৩৯ ড. মোহর আলি মূল : ড. মোহর আলি অনুবাদ : গুলজার গালিব পূর্বদেশে বাণিজ্যের ধারাবাহিকতায় আরব মুসলমানরা বাংলার উপকূলীয় অঞ্চলে, বিশেষত সমুদ্রবন্দরগুলোয় এসেছিল। তারা এখানকার রপ্তানিযোগ্য পণ্যসামগ্রী—চাল, আগ
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