Zanzibar's Indian Ocean Pearl Fisheries and the Gujarati Merchants

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the forgotten world of Zanzibar's pearl fisheries, a lucrative trade that thrived in the late 19th century. They explore how Gujarati merchants like Tharia Topan and Jairam Sewji controlled the pearl beds off the coast of Pemba and Unguja, supplying pearls to markets in Bombay, Surat, and Kutch. The conversation covers the techniques of pearl diving, the role of the Maria Theresa thaler as currency, the impact of overfishing, and the collapse of the industry due to competition from cultured pearls in Japan. Along the way, they touch on the involvement of Sultan Barghash bin Said and the watoro divers who risked their lives. A unique angle: the link between Zanzibar's pearl trade and the broader Indian Ocean economy, including the dhows that carried pearls across the monsoon winds. #Zanzibar #PearlFisheries #GujaratiMerchants #ThariaTopan #JairamSewji #BarghashBinSaid #Pemba #Unguja #Bombay #Kutch #MariaTheresaThaler #IndianOceanTrade #PearlDiving #MonsoonWinds #DhowTrade #SlaveDivers #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo