There are Hindu communities, mostly of Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan heritage inArab states of the Persian Gulf.[1] Many came due to the migration of Indians andNepalese expatriates and employees to the area around thePersian Gulf.
Indian settlers came to live inOman, creating settlements and practicing Hinduism. Arab sailors were using the southwestmonsoon winds to trade with western Indian ports before the first century CE. An Arab army conqueredSindh in 711 and Arab traders settled inKerala in the 6th century. In the opposite direction, medievalGujaratis,Kutchis, and other Indians traded extensively with Arab andSomali ports, includingHormuz,Salalah,Socotra,Mogadishu,Merca,Barawa,Hobyo,Muscat andAden. Arab merchants were the dominant carriers ofIndian Ocean trade until thePortuguese forcibly supplanted them at the end of the 15th century. Indo-Arabian links were renewed under theBritish Empire, when many Indians serving in the army or civil service were stationed in Arab lands such asSudan.[citation needed] The current wave of Indian immigration to theArab states of the Persian Gulf dates roughly to the 1960s. Hinduism is also one of the fastest growing religions in the Middle East, mainly due to immigration from theIndian Subcontinent.[citation needed]
In 2001, Belgianspeleologists discovered a large number of inscriptions, drawings, and archaeological objects on theSocotra island in Yemen[21][22] left by sailors who visited the island from the 1st century BC to 6th century AD. Most of the texts found were written in the IndianBrahmi script.[23]
Shiva temple in Old Muscat is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Middle East.
Oman has an immigrant Hindu minority. The number of Hindus has declined in the 20th century although it is now stable. Hinduism first came to Muscat in 1507 fromKutch. The original Hindus spokeKutchi. By the early 19th century there were at least 4,000 Hindus in Oman, all of the intermediate merchant caste. By 1900, their numbers had plummeted to 300. In 1895, the Hindu colony in Muscat came under attack by theIbadhis. By the time of independence, only a few dozen Hindus remained in Oman. The historical Hindu Quarters of al-Waljat and al-Banyan are no longer occupied by Hindus. The most prominent immigrant Hindus, are Visoomal Damodar Gandhi (Aulad Kara), Khimji Ramdas, Dhanji Morarji, Ratansi Purushottam and Purushottam Toprani. The only Hindu crematorium is located inSohar, northwest ofMuscat.[26]
Hindu temples once located in Ma'bad al Banyan and Bayt al Pir no longer exist after the area's redevelopment in the mid-1970s.[26] The only active Hindu temples today are theShiva temple complex in Muscat (locally known as Motishwar Mandir),[27] and theKrishna temple located inDarsait.[28]
Saudi authorities interpret Hindu icons as idols, and idol worship is strongly condemned inSunni Islam. This is likely the foundation for the stringent position of Saudi authorities when it comes to idol-worshipping religious practice.[33]
South Asians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitute the largest ethnic group in the country.[34] Over 2 million Indian migrants (mostly from thesouthern Indianstates ofKerala,Andhra Pradesh,Coastal Karnataka andTamil Nadu) are estimated to be living in the UAE, constituting 28% of the total population of the Emirates as of 2017.[35] A majority of Indians live in the three largest cities of the UAE —Abu Dhabi,Dubai andSharjah. From the estimated 2 million migrants, 1 million are from Kerala and 450,000 from Tamil Nadu, thus constituting a majority of the Indian community in the UAE. The population of Indian migrants in the UAE had grown from 170,000 in 1975 to an estimated value of 750,000 in 1999. By 2009, this value had grown to an estimated value of 2 million. A majority of Indians in the UAE (approximately 50%—883,313 in 2011) are from the South Indian state of Kerala, followed by migrants from Tamil Nadu. The majority of Indian migrants to UAE are Muslim (50%), followed by Christian (25%) and Hindu (25%). Estimated Hindu population in UAE is between 6-10%.[36]
In 1958, permission were given to build theHindu Temple, Dubai in Bur Dubai in a complex that includedShiva Mandir,Krishna Mandir, andGurudwara. In January 2024, a new Hindu Temple, Dubai opened in Jebel Ali and the existing Shiva Mandir and Gurudwara were moved to this new location. Krishan Mandir is still housed in the original complex in Bur Dubai.[37]
Majority of Hindus living in UAE practice their religion within their homes.[38] The new temple,BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, had its foundation stone laying ceremony in April, 2019.[39][40] The inauguration ceremony of the temple took place on 14 February 2024.[41]
^Robin, C.; Gorea, M. (2002). "Les vestiges antiques de la grotte de Hôq (Suqutra, Yémen) (note d'information)".Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (in French).146 (2):409–445.doi:10.3406/crai.2002.22441.
^Bukharin, Mikhail D.; De Geest, Peter; Dridi, Hédi; Gorea, Maria; Jansen Van Rensburg, Julian; Robin, Christian Julien;Shelat, Bharati; Sims-Williams, Nicholas; Strauch, Ingo (2012). Strauch, Ingo (ed.).Foreign Sailors on Socotra. The inscriptions and drawings from the cave Hoq. Bremen: Dr. Ute Hempen Verlag. p. 592.ISBN978-3-934106-91-8.
^"Population structure". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. 31 January 2020.Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved17 June 2021.
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