A Subcontinent Apart: Cross-Cultural Interactions Between India and the Muslim World During the Abbasid Era

Mountains and rivers mark the boundary between the Indian subcontinent and the rest of Asia. During the Abbasid era, economic activity flourished in India’s port cities since Muslims sought works that could not be found in the Islamic world. Culture was not the only thing influenced by India’s relationship with Muslim nations. The Muslims’ influence can be observed in the Urdu language, a composite of Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and multiple Indian dialects, and traditional Hindu temples that display Persian and Arabic influences in their architecture.