When Egypt and France opened up the Suez Canal on November 16, 1869, the distance between Asia and Europe was reduced by half in an instant. Ships no longer had to take passage around Africa, instead, cutting across the Red Sea and the Mediterranean to Europe’s busiest port cities.
Businessmen from across the world were quick to take note. While the British Empire was indifferent to the move, British businesses quickly realized that this presented new opportunities for trade and empire. Within the Empire, perhaps the savviest of the colonial business people were the merchants of Sindh. They looked at the map and found the axis of British influence along the new trade route – Gibraltar.
Located at the Southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar, was to become an important port for ships to refuel along their way. Anticipating this, Sindh merchants made their way to Gibraltar and set up shop.
Today, under 500 such merchants remain on Gibraltar, preserving trade links and business connections that have existed for over 148 years. Their story is one of many Indian diasporas across the world; where obstacles were overcome, customs were preserved and lost, and identities were mixed.
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