Surti Muslims - Surat

Surat

Arab traders landed at Ghogha (located just across the narrow Gulf of Khambhat from Surat) around the early 7th century and built a masjid there facing Jeruselum. Thus, Gujarat has the oldest mosque in India built between 624-626 AD by the Arabs who settled there.

It was in Surat that Britain established its first foothold in India in 1612, when the East India Company received permission from the Mughal emperor, Jahangir, to establish a trading “factory”. Surat was then, as it is now, a prosperous city and centre of trade between India, Arabia and Iran. It remained Britain’s chief settlement on the western coast of India until 1687, when Bombay succeeded it. Prior to British settlement in Surat, the Dutch and the Portuguese were already there and fought wars with the British over this lucrative piece of land. The French also arrived later to settle and started to trade with this prosperous city.

The city of Surat was also called Bab-al-Makkah (Gateway to Makkah) because it was a famous port and during Mughal times pilgrims arrived and left for Mecca from there. Sir Monier Williams suggests that the old name of the city was “Surya”, which is Sanskrit for sun. However, a Muslim ruler wished to change the name and converted it to “Surat”, which is a term that refers to a chapter in the Qur'an. Another story about the name of the town reveals that 'Surat' was derived from the Persian word "khubsurat", which means beautiful. Under Mughal rule, Surat enjoyed peace and rose to be one of the most prosperous cities in India. During the first half of the 17th century, the principal cargo of export from Surat was silk and cotton and diamonds.