The trade relations between Arabia and Kerala(Old Malabar)are very ancient. Arab traders used to visit the Malabar region, which was a link between them and ports of South East Asia, to trade even before Islam had been established in Arabia.The long-standing Arab contact with the coastal areas of malabar has left its permanent mark in the form of several communities. These communities came into existence through the large scale immigration of Arab sailors and their families. Malabar and Kochi were the most important states on the western coast of India where the Arabs found a fertile soil for their trade activities. The community, which arose in Malabar as a result of the contact, is called the Mappilas,genetic studies have found identifiable genes from the Arab peninsula
The trade relations between Arabia and Kerala(Old Malabar)are very ancient. Arab traders used to visit the Malabar region, which was a link between them and ports of South East Asia, to trade even before Islam had been established in Arabia.The long-standing Arab contact with the coastal areas of malabar has left its permanent mark in the form of several communities. These communities came into existence through the large scale immigration of Arab sailors and their families. Malabar and Kochi were the most important states on the western coast of India where the Arabs found a fertile soil for their trade activities. The community, which arose in Malabar as a result of the contact, is called the Mappilas,genetic studies have found identifiable genes from the Arab peninsula