The term fadiyār occurs in Judeo-Arabic letters found in the Cairo Geniza. The letters were exchanged between Jewish traders who were active in the Indian Ocean maritime trade between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. While it is understood in reference to a shipowner, its derivation remains obscure. The present paper traces the derivation of the term in the official title pati that appears in the Kollam copper plates, a ninth-century royal inscription in Old Malayalam from South India. Despite the time, place and language differences between the Kollam copper plates and the Geniza letters, both sources originate in the context of maritime trade networks in the Indian Ocean, and may therefore be of use in tracing the derivation of the term fadiyār from the term pati. Moreover, study of the two sources together may open new vistas to the study of the shared history, geography and economy of Southwest and Southeast Asia during the centuries preceding European expansion in the region.

Who Was the Fadiyār? Integrating Textual Evidence in Judeo-Arabic and Old Malayalam PDF

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