The Role Played by the Merchants of al-Qasim in the Coffee Trade across the Arabian Gulf, 1870–1950

Abstract

Abstract This article traces the coffee bean trade from its spread in central Arabia, focusing particularly on two groups of merchants in al-Qasim. The first group includes those who migrated and settled in countries of the Arabian Gulf, Iraq, India, or elsewhere and engaged in the trade in food, including in coffee. They amassed wealth and established large trading networks in the Hijaz, the Gulf coasts, Iraq, and India. The second group comprises traders who traveled from al-Qasim to the ports of the Arabian Gulf to purchase foodstuffs and export them to al-Qasim and other regions of central Arabia. The article emphasizes the strong relationships among these traders, how they were linked by the coffee trade, and how this trade also symbolized the connection between Najd and the wider world, contributing to its integration into the global economy.