When Dubai answered to Delhi: The forgotten India–Gulf connection
Long before oil transformed Dubai, the city was closely tied to British India. From Indian passports and the Indian rupee to administrators reporting to Delhi, large parts of today's Gulf were once governed through India. Here's the fascinating history behind that forgotten connection.
It sounds unbelievable today, but there was a time when Indian passports were valid in Dubai, the Indian rupee was legal currency, and British officials governing the Gulf reported not to London, but to Delhi.
No, Dubai was never a colony of independent India. But for decades under the British Empire, large parts of what we now call the UAE, Oman, and Yemen were administratively and economically tied to British India. In many ways, India functioned as the headquarters for Britain’s Gulf presence.
This is that forgotten chapter of history.
THE GULF BEFORE THE UAE EVEN EXISTED
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was no country called the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and neighbouring sheikhdoms were known as the Trucial States—a group of Arab protectorates under British control.
While Britain ruled these territories, it did not manage them directly from London. Instead, much of the Gulf was governed through British India, which was the empire’s most important administrative hub east of Suez.
From ports to policing, the Gulf’s links ran straight back to India.
RULED FROM INDIA, NOT LONDON
British political agents stationed in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi belonged to the Indian Political Service, not the British Foreign Office. They reported to the Viceroy of India in Delhi.
Administratively, a crescent-shaped stretch of territory—from Aden (in today’s Yemen) to Kuwait—was overseen from India. British administrators from the Bombay Presidency monitored sea trade, customs, and security across the Gulf.
Even local policing reflected this setup. Indian troops, often recruited from British Indian regiments, were deployed in parts of the Gulf and answered to Indian authorities.
Under the Interpretation Act of 1889, these protectorates were legally treated as part of the British Indian Empire for administrative purposes.
YES, INDIAN PASSPORTS WORKED IN DUBAI
One of the most surprising facts from this period is that Indian passports were valid across the Gulf.
Indian passports were issued and recognised in places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Aden. Aden, now part of Yemen, served as British India’s westernmost port and was formally part of the Bombay Presidency until 1937.
Even some semi-independent princely states of India issued documents that allowed travel to Gulf ports. For traders, sailors, and officials, moving between western India and the Arabian coast was routine.
When Mahatma Gandhi visited Aden in 1931, he reportedly found young Arabs who identified strongly with Indian nationalist ideas. This is another reminder of how closely linked these regions once were.
THE INDIAN RUPEE IN DUBAI’S MARKETS
Long before the dirham existed, the Indian rupee was Dubai’s official currency.
The rupee dominated trade across the Gulf because of India’s central role in regional commerce. Indian merchants, especially from Gujarat and Sindh, were deeply involved in pearl trading, shipping, and finance in Dubai and Sharjah.
Shipping routes were served by companies like the British India Steam Navigation Company, making Bombay the Gulf’s primary commercial gateway.
These economic ties did not vanish overnight. The Indian rupee continued to circulate in Dubai well into the mid-20th century, even after administrative changes began.
EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND
In a BBC account, journalist David Holden, writing about the Gulf in the 1950s, noted how visible the influence of British India still was.
He described Gulf rulers educated in India, soldiers wearing uniforms inspired by Indian princely armies, and British officials whose careers had been shaped entirely within Indian administration.
One striking example was the Sultan of Oman, educated in Rajasthan, who reportedly spoke Urdu more fluently than Arabic, a legacy of India’s cultural reach at the time.
WHY YOU WON’T SEE THIS ON OLD MAPS
Despite the deep administrative links, maps showing the full extent of the Indian Empire were often kept out of public circulation.
British authorities deliberately avoided highlighting India’s reach into Arab territories to prevent diplomatic tensions—first with the Ottoman Empire, and later with emerging powers like Saudi Arabia.
As a result, many official documents quietly omitted Gulf regions, even though they were governed through India.
HOW DUBAI WAS FINALLY SEPARATED FROM INDIA
The slow separation began on April 1, 1937, when Aden was formally detached from British India.
A statement from King George VI acknowledged that Aden had been “an integral part of the British Indian administration” for nearly a century before that link was severed.
Still, much of the Gulf remained under Indian jurisdiction for another decade.
As independence movements gathered pace, British officials debated whether India or Pakistan should inherit responsibility for the Persian Gulf after 1947. Ultimately, there was little appetite in Delhi to govern the region.
On April 1, 1947, the remaining Gulf territories—from Dubai to Kuwait—were finally detached from British India, just months before the subcontinent itself was divided and gained independence.
A SHARED PAST MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW
As historian Paul Rich has observed, places like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Aden, and Yemen were among the last outposts of the Indian Empire—much like Goa was for Portugal or Pondicherry for France.
Today’s Dubai, with its skyscrapers and global finance hubs, feels worlds away from that era. But beneath the modern city lies a layered history where Indian passports, Indian currency, and Indian administration once shaped daily life.
It’s a reminder that long before oil and aviation transformed the Gulf, India and Dubai were already deeply connected—by empire, trade, and people.
It sounds unbelievable today, but there was a time when Indian passports were valid in Dubai, the Indian rupee was legal currency, and British officials governing the Gulf reported not to London, but to Delhi.
No, Dubai was never a colony of independent India. But for decades under the British Empire, large parts of what we now call the UAE, Oman, and Yemen were administratively and economically tied to British India. In many ways, India functioned as the headquarters for Britain’s Gulf presence.
This is that forgotten chapter of history.
THE GULF BEFORE THE UAE EVEN EXISTED
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was no country called the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and neighbouring sheikhdoms were known as the Trucial States—a group of Arab protectorates under British control.
While Britain ruled these territories, it did not manage them directly from London. Instead, much of the Gulf was governed through British India, which was the empire’s most important administrative hub east of Suez.
From ports to policing, the Gulf’s links ran straight back to India.
RULED FROM INDIA, NOT LONDON
British political agents stationed in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi belonged to the Indian Political Service, not the British Foreign Office. They reported to the Viceroy of India in Delhi.
Administratively, a crescent-shaped stretch of territory—from Aden (in today’s Yemen) to Kuwait—was overseen from India. British administrators from the Bombay Presidency monitored sea trade, customs, and security across the Gulf.
Even local policing reflected this setup. Indian troops, often recruited from British Indian regiments, were deployed in parts of the Gulf and answered to Indian authorities.
Under the Interpretation Act of 1889, these protectorates were legally treated as part of the British Indian Empire for administrative purposes.
YES, INDIAN PASSPORTS WORKED IN DUBAI
One of the most surprising facts from this period is that Indian passports were valid across the Gulf.
Indian passports were issued and recognised in places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Aden. Aden, now part of Yemen, served as British India’s westernmost port and was formally part of the Bombay Presidency until 1937.
Even some semi-independent princely states of India issued documents that allowed travel to Gulf ports. For traders, sailors, and officials, moving between western India and the Arabian coast was routine.
When Mahatma Gandhi visited Aden in 1931, he reportedly found young Arabs who identified strongly with Indian nationalist ideas. This is another reminder of how closely linked these regions once were.
THE INDIAN RUPEE IN DUBAI’S MARKETS
Long before the dirham existed, the Indian rupee was Dubai’s official currency.
The rupee dominated trade across the Gulf because of India’s central role in regional commerce. Indian merchants, especially from Gujarat and Sindh, were deeply involved in pearl trading, shipping, and finance in Dubai and Sharjah.
Shipping routes were served by companies like the British India Steam Navigation Company, making Bombay the Gulf’s primary commercial gateway.
These economic ties did not vanish overnight. The Indian rupee continued to circulate in Dubai well into the mid-20th century, even after administrative changes began.
EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND
In a BBC account, journalist David Holden, writing about the Gulf in the 1950s, noted how visible the influence of British India still was.
He described Gulf rulers educated in India, soldiers wearing uniforms inspired by Indian princely armies, and British officials whose careers had been shaped entirely within Indian administration.
One striking example was the Sultan of Oman, educated in Rajasthan, who reportedly spoke Urdu more fluently than Arabic, a legacy of India’s cultural reach at the time.
WHY YOU WON’T SEE THIS ON OLD MAPS
Despite the deep administrative links, maps showing the full extent of the Indian Empire were often kept out of public circulation.
British authorities deliberately avoided highlighting India’s reach into Arab territories to prevent diplomatic tensions—first with the Ottoman Empire, and later with emerging powers like Saudi Arabia.
As a result, many official documents quietly omitted Gulf regions, even though they were governed through India.
HOW DUBAI WAS FINALLY SEPARATED FROM INDIA
The slow separation began on April 1, 1937, when Aden was formally detached from British India.
A statement from King George VI acknowledged that Aden had been “an integral part of the British Indian administration” for nearly a century before that link was severed.
Still, much of the Gulf remained under Indian jurisdiction for another decade.
As independence movements gathered pace, British officials debated whether India or Pakistan should inherit responsibility for the Persian Gulf after 1947. Ultimately, there was little appetite in Delhi to govern the region.
On April 1, 1947, the remaining Gulf territories—from Dubai to Kuwait—were finally detached from British India, just months before the subcontinent itself was divided and gained independence.
A SHARED PAST MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW
As historian Paul Rich has observed, places like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Aden, and Yemen were among the last outposts of the Indian Empire—much like Goa was for Portugal or Pondicherry for France.
Today’s Dubai, with its skyscrapers and global finance hubs, feels worlds away from that era. But beneath the modern city lies a layered history where Indian passports, Indian currency, and Indian administration once shaped daily life.
It’s a reminder that long before oil and aviation transformed the Gulf, India and Dubai were already deeply connected—by empire, trade, and people.