Harking Back: Lahore’s ancient trade and the Aleppo connection

When we see the arrival of Portuguese Jesuit priests in large numbers at the court of Akbar’s court in Lahore, we fail to see behind their piety a hidden ‘trading’ agenda. Pious priests are invariably connected with trading profits.

For centuries trade of exotic Eastern goods reached the markets of the Mediterranean Europe, Africa and Turkey. The very first ‘product’ – if we can call it that – were the slaves of the Punjab. Besides some gold, the most profitable product in the loot of the Turkish-Afghan invader, Mahmud of Ghazni, were slaves. In and around Lahore he collected 500,000 slaves which were sold in the slave markets of Samarkand, Bukhara and Constantinople (now called Istanbul). From there the choicest slaves were further transported to Italy where the large slave markets of Venice, Genoa, Sicily and Crete specialised in ‘high-priced’ slaves. They also forwarded slaves to Barcelona and Valencia.

Slaves from the Punjab were taken as far away as Wales in Britain. Amazingly recent DNA tests show the Welsh as having some north-Indian genes. But then once wooden sailing ships started reaching far away portions of the world, we have the William Finch collection (Early Travels, 1609) telling us of the three major products that were available in the markets of Lahore in abundance, which the Portuguese were monopolising. They were Lahori Indigo, saltpetre and cotton fabrics.

Before we examine these three products, let us look at the manner in which they reached Europe. The major markets of pre-Akbar Lahore were located outside the then walled city. Their location was just outside the city walls on the road to Delhi along what is today’s Landa Bazaar. The Portuguese encouraged the Mughals to build ships, and it was at Lahore’s ancient trade port of Khizri Darwaza (renamed Sheranwala) that goods flowed down-country. As Lahore was located at a strategic place along the East-West land trade route, this was a natural collection market for the entire northern landmass of the sub-continent.

The need to store products safely inside the protective walls of Lahore saw the emergence of the plan to expand Lahore. Come Akbar and his need for higher taxes, and therefore, larger armies, plus the need to facilitate trade, was, sadly, accompanied by a famine. Thousands flocked to Lahore for food and he skilfully used free hungry labour to rebuild an expanded walled city and its fort. The markets outside now moved inside Akbari Darwaza and behind Khizri Darwaza, where they still exist. So we see Lahore expanding to become the largest trade centre of northern India. We also see a major shipbuilding industry emerge, with even Akbar’s wife Marium Zamani entering this business. If you walk the streets of Sheranwala today, you will find many a street named after a shipbuilding trade.

Now let us move to examining the three main products that were of immense interest to Europeans of the 16thand 17thcentury. The very first products were indigo or ‘neel’ and cotton fabrics. The Portuguese were the very first to purchase them, followed by Dutch factors, with the English later taking over in what was a classic colonial move. The Portuguese markets of Lisbon had in its day a small market known for its Bayana and Sarkhej brand of indigo. They were sold in its ‘Indigo Mercado’. Then came a new expensive variety called Lahori Indigo. This special Lahori indigo was used when the French made the first denim in the city of Nimes, with D’Nimes being ‘of Nimes’ or denim.

This variety, amazingly, was sent by the Dutch first to Aleppo’s markets, from where they were taken to different buyers all over Europe. So Aleppo became the first stop for all goods from Lahore. With the coming of the East India Company, we see all the three colonial powers wanting this blue dye. Outside Lahori Gate in the markets opposite it, indigo dye was extracted from the ‘Indigofera’ plant. It was so strong a dye that if a fresh egg was left near its processing place, by the evening the inside would go blue. Soon inside Lahori Bazaar a ‘Neel Gali’ emerged, which exists and functions even today. The rural areas of the Punjab grew this plant in abundance, that is till the woad plant took over and soon artificial dyes came about, first in Germany and then to the rest of the world.

The second most important product that interested the West was saltpetre, from which gunpowder was and is still made. This explosive mineral is made from decomposed animal excreta and decomposing plants, producing potassium nitrate. In the Sanskrit language it is called ‘soraka’ and ‘shora’ in Punjabi and Urdu. In Lahore this product was stored safely to the east of the city, where today stands the Mughalpura Workshop. During the days of Maharajah Ranjit Singh a major gunpowder factory existed which was headed by the Hungarian physician Dr Honigberger, who lived in Tehsil Bazaar. His house still stands.

The colonial powers were very much interested in this product, and large consignments were shipped from the Lahore port to Europe. In the year 1605 the king of Spain and Portugal wrote to the governor of Goa to make sure that supplies of saltpetre were guaranteed. It is possible that the Portuguese Jesuits, who resided in Lahore’s walled city for a few years guaranteed this supply. The rise of Spain as a power saw them head towards South America with the Dutch moving in to seek saltpetre supplies.

Then the English entered the fray. If you read the Court Minutes of London 1617, we see a major concern about an acute shortage of saltpetre, which “is hampering our shipping and land firepower”. At this stage of European history we see the English navy attacking Dutch and Portuguese ships and by 1704 they had captured Gibraltar, whose name was Jabr’ul Tariq – Rock of Tariq - after the Arab invader who captured it in 710 AD. Thus all ship movement towards the ports of Western Europe was blocked. This critical ingredient continued to be exported till very recently.

Now comes the last of the three ancient products exported from Lahore. This is cotton and cotton products. The Portuguese imported a product they call ‘Calico’, which is a coarse fabric we call ‘khaddar’. Initially this fabric, entirely handwoven, was used in Europe as tablecloths, towels, napkins and bed-linen. Then came a dyed version which was followed by Indian block printing. The natural dyes of the sub-continent captured the European high fashion market. As Punjab started producing longer fibre cotton, the finer counts led to the production of muslin. By then the industrial revolution had set in and the colonial power was well established. The export of finished fabrics was banned.

This led to the rise of the power looms of Manchester and soon in the sub-continent only English fabrics were available. We all know about Gandhi and his ‘Swaraj’ movement was a counter move in this trade war. So we see our products moving to the West via Aleppo and how with the coming of the railways the shipping from Lahore ceased. In a way the fall of the Mughals can also be attributed to them being unable to become a naval power. Well, my late father used to say: “To discuss the Ifs of history is a waste of time”.