The ornate mosque was built by the early settlers as a visual symbol of their separation constructed with the help of the ceramic tiles that were shipped in from Iran. Many of the early Iranian Shia traders settled down in Umerkhadi and Dongri. By 1865 the number of Iranians officially registered as residing in Bombay reached 1,639 persons, though we can be fairly sure that a good many more unofficial residents escaped the eyes of the city’s officials.” The masjid, when it was constructed in 1858, was known as the Iranian Masjid.

Nile Green, in his book ‘Bombay Islam’, writes, “In 1830, Bombay’s total trade with Iran amounted to 350,000 rupees, but by 1859 the annual trade in horses alone had risen to 2,625,000 rupees, and this trend continued as the century progressed. Most of these new migrants hailed from the inland cities of Shiraz and Isfahan and came to Mumbai in search of greener pastures in view of the economic recession suffered by inland Iran. Nile Green’s previous book, Bombay Islam: The Religious Economy of the West Indian Ocean, 18401915 (2013), used an unusually wide range of sources to portray t We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. The geographies and ‘homelands’ of Islam could change, then, in the modern period just as they had in the middle ages. While Bombay historically had linkages with Iran given the presence of a substantial Zorastrian and Bahai population, there was a fresh round of influx of mostly Iranian Muslims in the early 19th Century. Globalization allowed new Muslim hubs such as Bombay to serve not only as religious reception zones that imported Muslims, but also as religious production centers that exported Islam. It was due to this association that the mosque slowly gained an identity as Mughal masjid. The dominance of the Persians in the Mughal court and Mughal bureaucracy made the Persians synonymous with the Mughals in popular perception. The masjid, when it was constructed in 1858, was known as the Iranian Masjid. Cover for Bombay Islam: The Religious Economy of the West Indian Ocean, 1840. Many of the early Iranian Shia traders settled down in Umerkhadi and Dongri. Nile Greens Bombay Islam traces the ties between.

Bombay Islam by Nile Green