Yakut Khan
His real name was Siddi Qasim Khan
 and later under the Mughal Empire. His real name was Siddi Qasim Khan but was given the title of Yakut Khan by Emperor Alamgir. During a Muhgal-English conflict he laid siege to the British-held Bombay in 1689.
The Siddis are a community of African ancestry that live in much of Karnataka and Kerala, India. They were loyal to the Mughals and had earned a reputation as excellent sea-farers.  In October, 1672, Khan entered the seven islands of Bombay
 and attacked the Marathas with whom they were at war with. Khan returned the following year, on 10 October 1673, after destroying the towns of Pen and Nagothane. Yakut Khan, along with Khariyat Khan, had earlier saved the Portuguese from the Marathas left by Sambhaji  
The Sidis' never-conquered island fort
of *Murud-Janjira*
(1500's on), in Raigarh
district, Maharashtra
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roving_eye/840023794/
(downloaded Dec. 2008)
 A view
from the highest point of the fort
A view
from the highest point of the fort
Source: http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/25776/l
(downloaded Dec. 2008)
Another overview of the fort
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunilkashikar/2517703610/
(downloaded Dec. 2008)
Stone against water
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/himanshu_sarpotdar/2046220363/
(downloaded Dec. 2008)
An interior view
Source: http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/25773/
(downloaded Dec. 2008)
| Sambhaji Bhosale | 
|---|
|  | 
| Born | May 14, 1657 | 
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In return, they enjoyed a cordial relationship in the otherwise tense political climate.
ordered the Khan to attack Bombay for the third time after Indian vessels sailing to Surat
Anglo-Mughal War - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Anglo-Mughal_War
In 1689, the strong Mughal fleet from Janjira commanded by the Sidi Yaqub and manned by Mappila from Ethiopian Empire besieged the British fort of Bombay.
In 1689, the strong Mughal fleet from 
Janjira commanded by the 
Sidi Yaqub and manned by 
Mappila from 
Ethiopian Empire[mappila is from kerala for the information.also Ethiopians are neither mappilas nor they took part in Indian war; but slaves of arabs ] [besieged the British fort of Bombay.
[8]
 After a year of resistance, a famine broke out which caused hundreds of
 deaths, the British surrendered, and in 1690 the company sent envoys to
 Aurangzeb's court to plea for a pardon and to renew the trade firman. 
The company's envoys had to prostrate themselves before the emperor, pay
 a large imperial fine of 1,50,000 rupees, and promise better behavior 
in the future. 
Emperor Aurangzeb then ordered 
Sidi Yaqub to lift the 
Siege of Bombay and the company subsequently re-established itself in Bombay and set up a new base in 
Calcutta.
[6]
..............................................................................................The 1689 Siege of Bombay in Global Historical ... - Brill
brill.com › previewpdf › book › edcoll
retinue of sailors and soldiers, Sidi Qasim Yaqut Khan, a tributary naval com- ... J. Stern, eds., The English East India Company at the Height of Mughal Expansion: A ... self as both a commercial and political power in the western Indian littoral, ... case of the ways in which military defeat leads to reassessment and transforma-.
The 1689 Siege of Bombay in Global Historical Perspective
Philip J. Stern
On February 15, 1689, the East India Company’s fort, settlement, and town at Bombay (today, Mumbai) received an unwelcome surprise. Along with a large retinue of sailors and soldiers, Sidi Qasim Yaqut Khan, a tributary naval com-mander  for  the  Mughal  Empire  and  a  power  in  his  own  right  in  the  western Indian littoral, landed at the village of Sewri to the north of Bombay fort, and proceeded to occupy and force evacuation of the outlying fortlets around the archipelago – at Sewri, as well as Mahim, Sion, and Worli. Ultimately making his  way  to  the  southeastern  hill  forts  at  Mazagaon  and  Dongri,  for  the  next sixteen  months,  his  forces  laid  siege  to  the  fort  and  town  of  Bombay,  which only  two  years  earlier  the  East  India  Company  had  effectively  declared  the capital of its operations throughout Asia.1
Old Fort of Surat | The Ancient ...surat360.com
  were captured in 1686. In April 1689, the Siddis laid siege to the British fortification
 to the south. The British governor Sir John Child appealed to Aurangzeb. In February 1690, the Mughals agreed to halt the attack in return for 150,000 rupees (Over a billion USD at 2008 conversion rates) and Child's dismissal. Child's untimely death in 1690 however, resulted in him escaping the ignominy of being sacked. Enraged at the agreement, Sakat withdrew his forces on 8 June 1690 after razing the Mazagaon Fort.
Relations between the British and the Siddis of Janjira had never 
been very cordial, so when the war in Bengal began, the East India 
Company’s Governor at Bombay, Sir John Child, indulged in war mongering 
aimed at the Siddis. Although they had nominal control of Bombay, he 
wanted to make it total by eliminating any competition.
Aurangzeb versus the East India Company - DNA India
www.dnaindia.com › Analysis
Sep 9, 2018 — The Battle of Plassey was three generations away. ... In January 1686, six companies of British soldiers landed at Hughli after mistaking the route to Chittagong. ... Bengal began, the East India Company's Governor at Bombay, Sir John Child, ... This was around 1689-1690. ... Views expressed are personal.
Child then went ahead and captured a few trading ships belonging to 
Siddi Kasim. The result was as it was anticipated: A blockade of Bombay.
 This was around 1689-1690. Siddi Kasim captured the island of Mazgaon 
and placed his cannons on the hills of Dongri. He further proceeded to 
bomb the British garrisons. If he had continued for a few months more, 
he would have captured Bombay.
 Few people know that it was a Parsi, Rustomji Dorabji, who prevented
 Mumbai from going under the control of Siddi of Janjira. He brought 
together a motley but spirited crowd of Kolis and Bhandaris to defend 
the islands.
 Eventually, supplies ran out for Sir John Child, and he was forced 
to raise the white flag and plead for a pardon. According to some 
accounts, British officials in Surat were paraded in chains on the 
streets of Surat, while some went to Aurangzeb with their hands tied 
behind their backs seeking mercy. Sir John Child offered to pay the 
Mughal a total of Rs 1.50 lakh as fine. His apologies were accepted, as 
were those of British officials in Bengal, Surat and Fort St. George. In
 1698, the same Aurangzeb allowed the East India Company to construct 
Fort William in Bengal. Trade was to continue as before
 
Khan died in 1733.
Shivaji
On his escape from Delhi at the close of 1666, Shivaji drove the Moghals out of most of the south-east of Thana. They continued to hold the great hill-forts of Karnala 
and Mahuli,
 but, after heavy fighting, lost them also in 1670. 
In 1670 the Portuguese defeated Shivaji at sea
But he came perilously near them on land, taking several forts in the north-east of Thana and attacking Ghodbandar
 in Salsette. 
 This advance of Shivaji's led the English to send him an envoy, and an alliance was agreed to, in which he promised to respect the English possessions.
 In 1672 the Sidi of Janjira, whose appointment as Moghal admiral had lately (1662) increased his importance, blockaded the Karanja river
 and made a fort at its mouth. In October of the same year (1672) a Sidi and Moghal squadron landed troops on the banks of the Nagothna river, laid the country waste, and carried off the people as slaves
In February 1673 a Dutch fleet, 
under their Governor General, appeared before Bombay and caused such alarm that the settlers fled to the Portuguese territories. But the Governor, Gorald Aungier, had given so much care to the fortifications 
and to strengthening the garrison and organizing the militia that, after hovering about the mouth of the harbour for some time, the Dutch retired without attempting an attack
Another cause of difficulty in Bombay were the Sidis. Nearly every season between 1672 and 1680, sometimes with leave sometimes without leave, the Sidis came to Bombay to winter, that is to pass the stormy south-west monsoon (May-October). In 1674 they scared the people from Sion fort in the north-east of the Island, but were attacked by English troops, and an agreement was made that not more than 300 of the Sidi's men were to remain on shore at one time and that none of them wore to have any arms except a sword. These visits placed the English in an unpleasant dilemma. If they allowed the Sidis to land, they roused the suspicion and anger of Shivaji; if they forbad the Sidis landing they displeased the Moghals
|  | 
| RAJAPUR FACTORY | 
|  | 
| DHABOL FORT | 
 
|  | 
| Pen and ink drawing of Sewri Fort in Bombay looking across to Trombay Island by William Miller (1795-1836) in 1828 In April 1674 Shivaji was crowned at Raygad fort near the town of Mahad in south Kolaba. An embassy sent by the Bombay Government found him friendly. He granted them leave to trade to any part of his territory on paying an import duty of two and a half per cent; he allowed them to establish factories at Rajapur and Dabhol in Ratnagiri,
 Weavers came from Chaul to Bombay, and a street was ordered to be built for them stretching from the customs-house to the fort.
 
 
  
 | 
The  view shows the islands of Bombay, part of the village of Mazagaon, and  the Mahratta mountains in the background. The top of Belvidere House and  Cross Island are on the left; to the right is Fort George. Ships are  pictured at anchor in the harbour. Across the water is Chaul and the  Kanheri.
 
 
  
 
Lithograph of the Marine Battalion at the Esplanade by Jose M. Gonsalves  (fl. 1826-c.1842). Plate 4 from his 'Lithographic Views of Bombay'  published in Bombay in 1826. Gonsalves, thought to be of Goan origin,  was one of the first artists to practice lithography in Bombay and  specialised in topographical views of the city. In 1772, the English  feared an attack on Bombay by the French and cleared a semi-circular  area of land around the fort to provide a clear line of fire. This area  was known as the Esplanade. In the southern section of this area, there  was a parade ground known as Marine Lines. This view shows a battalion  soldiers on parade with military bungalows in the background. 
  
 
Photograph taken by William Johnson in 1861, of Back Bay in Bombay  (Mumbai), Maharashtra, from an album of 40 albumen prints taken in the  1860s. The busy port and industrial hub of Bombay is the capital of  Maharashtra. During British rule, it was the administrative capital of  the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a peninsula into the Arabian Sea  on the west coast of India, Bombay prospered with maritime trade and  became the chief commercial centre of the Arabian Sea. Originally a  collection of fishing villages of the Koli community built on seven  islands, Bombay was by the 14th century controlled by the Gujarat  Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it  was part of the dowry brought to Charles II of England when he married  the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. In the 19th century,  Bombay burgeoned with economic activity and grew huge. Land reclamation  along Back Bay provided for further development. Back Bay is located at  the southeast tip of Bombay, near the fort and central district. In this  view local craft are beached in the foreground. 
  
 
This photograph was taken by Samuel Bourne in the 1860s. Elphinstone  Circle was constructed from about 1860 onwards on the site of Bombay  Green in the centre of the Fort area. It lies at the eastern end of Vir  Nariman Road, formerly known as Church Gate Street. The elegantly  curved, arcaded terraces exhibit unified Italian facades enriched with  cast-ironwork imported from England. Following Independence the area was  renamed after Benjamin Horniman, an English journalist who was an  ardent proponent of Indian self-determination.
Y 
  
 
Lithographer: Miller, William (1795-1836)
Medium: Lithograph, coloured
Date: 1828
Coloured lithograph of a church and temple in Bassein Fort by William  Miller (1795-1836) in 1828. Bassein (Vasai) is situated at the mouth of  the Ulhas River north of Bombay. In 1534, the Portuguese seized Bassein  from Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, and the town remained in their  control for just over 200 years. At the height of its prosperity,  Bassein had 5 convents and 13 churches. In 1739, Bassein was taken by  the Marathas. In 1802, the British secured the Treaty of Bassein with  Peshwa Baji Rao II, which allowed British forces to be stationed in  Maratha territory. 
  
 
Aquatinter: Clark, J. (fl.1789-1834)
Medium: Aquatint, coloured
Date: 1813
Coloured aquatint of the Fleet under Convoy of H. M.'s Ship 'Chiffone'  Captain Wainwright leaving Bombay in Maharashtra by J. Clark  (fl.1789-1834) after an original drawing of September 14th 1809 by  Robert Temple (fl.early 1800) of the H. M. 65th Regiment and published  in London in 1813.
In 1674, Bombay replaced Surat as the headquarters of the English East  Company in India. The esplanade, seen in the foreground of this view,  provided a clear range of fire from the fort and was added in the 1770s  to protect the city from the French. 
  
![Sailors' Home [Bombay].](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_smgGqQnCOA3GtlOcK5i_rIJwCyQhItB_6-tujfZibyCmLx7kkIjqRCvo0Xdng1q1sTtIuqNkYfhk-76t51I5zb1ZZTfufIyfJuJNsW-8hAS7bu8R7CpQ3729-c8uVsMiowzqVSP0M=s0-d) Photograph of the Sailor's Home buildingl, taken by an unknown  photographer in the 1870s in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, from an album  of 40 prints mostly dating from the 1860s. Bombay, the capital of  Maharashtra and one of India's major industrial centres and a busy port,  was originally the site of seven islands on the west coast, sparsely  populated by Koli fisherfolk. Bombay was by the 14th century controlled  by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th  century. In 1661 it passed to the English as part of the dowry brought  to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. By the  19th century Bombay was a prosperous centre for commerce. The removal of  the ramparts of the fort had opened up the city to fresh developments  in architecture, and in the second half of the 19th century Bombay  witnessed accelerated building activity fuelled by its booming maritime  trade. A collection of grand public buildings sprang up at the Esplanade  and city centre. The Royal Alfred Sailors' Home was completed in 1876  and is now the Bombay Council Hall. The building was designed by the  architect Frederick William Stevens, an engineer with the Indian Public  Works Department.
Photograph of the Sailor's Home buildingl, taken by an unknown  photographer in the 1870s in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, from an album  of 40 prints mostly dating from the 1860s. Bombay, the capital of  Maharashtra and one of India's major industrial centres and a busy port,  was originally the site of seven islands on the west coast, sparsely  populated by Koli fisherfolk. Bombay was by the 14th century controlled  by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th  century. In 1661 it passed to the English as part of the dowry brought  to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. By the  19th century Bombay was a prosperous centre for commerce. The removal of  the ramparts of the fort had opened up the city to fresh developments  in architecture, and in the second half of the 19th century Bombay  witnessed accelerated building activity fuelled by its booming maritime  trade. A collection of grand public buildings sprang up at the Esplanade  and city centre. The Royal Alfred Sailors' Home was completed in 1876  and is now the Bombay Council Hall. The building was designed by the  architect Frederick William Stevens, an engineer with the Indian Public  Works Department. 
  
Pencil drawing of the town and fort of Dejouri (Deogiri or Daulatabad)  by Alexander Nash (fl. 1834-1846) between 1844 and 1845. This image is  from an album of 19 drawings (19 folios) depicting the monuments of  Bijapur and the hill forts of Dejouri and Purandhar, made during a  Revenue Survey of the Deccan. Nash served with the Bombay Engineers and  from 1836 was mainly employed in the Revenue Survey of the Deccan, first  as an assistant and from 1841 as Superintendent.
The citadel of Devagiri, "Hills of Gods" was occupied and renamed  Daulatabad "City of Fortune" after the Tughluq conquest at the end of  the 13th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries it became the capital  of the Bahmani sultans of the Deccan and was taken by the Mughals in  1633. The impressive fortress is situated on the top of a steep hill 200  metres high. There are three concentric lines of fortifications between  the outer wall and the citadel which is reached by steep flights of  steps. The remains of the original town of Deogiri are enclosed by the  outer walls, entered through three gateways. A series of underground  passages carved into the solid rock lead to the citadel. 
  
 CHURCH GATE =THE GATE OF THE BOMBAY FORT ; NEAR TO ST THOMAS CATHEDRAL  CHURCH,SEEN AT FAR END [THE FORT HAD MANY SIMILAR GATES ;The fort walls  had three main gates. One was the Apollo Gate, near the present day  location of the St. Andrew's Church. The most well-known was Church Gate, named after St. Thomas', standing almost exactly on the spot that the Flora Fountain now  occupies. The third was the Bazaar Gate, right opposite the present  dome of the General Post Office, which lends its name to the area even  now, long after the gate itself has disappeared.]
CHURCH GATE =THE GATE OF THE BOMBAY FORT ; NEAR TO ST THOMAS CATHEDRAL  CHURCH,SEEN AT FAR END [THE FORT HAD MANY SIMILAR GATES ;The fort walls  had three main gates. One was the Apollo Gate, near the present day  location of the St. Andrew's Church. The most well-known was Church Gate, named after St. Thomas', standing almost exactly on the spot that the Flora Fountain now  occupies. The third was the Bazaar Gate, right opposite the present  dome of the General Post Office, which lends its name to the area even  now, long after the gate itself has disappeared.]
This view of Churchgate Street, now known as Vir Nariman Road, in the  Fort area of Bombay was taken in the 1860s to form part of an album  entitled 'Photographs of India and Overland Route'. Churchgate Street  runs from Horniman Circle at the east end to what was originally named  Marine Drive at the edge of the Back Bay. Churchgate Station, the old  General Post Office (now the Telegraph Office) and the Cathedral Church  of St Thomas, the oldest still-functioning structure in the city, are  all located along its length. However, Churchgate Station and the Post  Office were later additions to the street and would not have been in  existence at the time of this photograph.
In 1772 an order was promulgated to segregate Indian and English houses,  both within and outside the Fort. A more important development came  five years later, in 1777, when the first newspaper in Bombay was published 
  
Lithograph of Bombay harbour by W. Watson after Charles Franklin Head  from his 'Eastern and Egyptian Scenery' printed by C.Hullmandel and  published in London in 1833. The area of Bombay was originally composed  of seven islands separated by a marshy swamp. In 1661, the British Crown  acquired the islands of Bombay from the Portuguese as part of Catherine  of Braganza's marriage dowry to Charles II. From 1668, the East India  Company developed the area as a trading port. The fort was situated on  the island of Bombay. The island of Colaba, to the south, became a  popular place for recreation in the 18th century and was connected to  the island of Bombay by a causeway the 1830s. 
  
 
A photograph of the Back Bay in Bombay from the 'Vibart Collection of  Views in South India' taken by Johnson & Henderson about 1855.  Originally, Bombay was composed of seven islands separated by a marshy  swamp. It’s deep natural harbour led the Portuguese settlers of the 16th  Century to call it Bom Bahia (the Good Bay). The British Crown acquired  the islands in 1661when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II, as  part of her marriage dowry. It was then presented to the East India  Company in 1668. The second governor, Gerald Aungier, developed Bombay  into a trading port and centre for commerce and inducements were offered  to skilled workers and traders to move here. Back Bay is located on the  southeast tip of the island near the fort, the central business  district and the area known as Colaba.The Back Bay Reclamation Project  was originally proposed in 1865, started in 1913, sidelined by  government regulations until 1922, abandoned in 1930, proposed again in  1950 and finally completed in 1970. 
  
 
Photograph of Elphinstone Circle in Bombay from the 'Lee-Warner  Collection: 'Bombay Presidency. William Lee Warner C.S.' taken by an  unknown photographer in the 1870s. Elphinstone Circle was laid out in  1869 on the site of the old Bombay Green in Fort area of the city. The  buildings were designed by James Scott as part of the redevelopment of  Bombay which began under the Governorship of Sir Bartle Frere in the  1860s. This view shows that these buildings are characterised by the  uniformity of their design and the use of a covered arcade at ground  level. Following Independence, the Circle was renamed Horniman Circle.  This name refers to Benjamin Horniman, an English journalist. 
  
![The Secretariat [Bombay].](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tIMurW47iIWp8o9fGgNG_k0mpzxjrSnhhKJ21JRN3lRiUCbM0u34Ms84TnR8oM-TsjYBYW-H-g9-U2dDvdfOIJzGjs27poLXEInzpHJ8x_P9tkw_d7YLuvzLIf1siIoxyHhPUszJY=s0-d) 
Photograph of the Secretariat building, taken by an unknown photographer  in the 1870s in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, from an album of 40  prints mostly dating from the 1860s. Bombay, the capital of Maharashtra  and one of India's major industrial centres and a busy port, was  originally the site of seven islands on the west coast, sparsely  populated by Koli fisherfolk. Bombay was by the 14th century controlled  by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th  century. In 1661 it passed to the English as part of the dowry brought  to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. By the  19th century Bombay was a prosperous centre for commerce. The removal of  the ramparts of the fort had opened up the city to fresh developments  in architecture, and in the second half of the 19th century Bombay  witnessed accelerated building activity fuelled by its booming maritime  trade. A collection of grand public buildings sprang up at the Esplanade  and city centre. The Bombay Secretariat was completed in 1874 and  designed by Captain Henry St. Clair Wilkins in the Venetian Gothic  style. With its arcaded verandahs and huge gable over the west facade,  it was a monument to the civic pride of Bombay's British rulers. 
  
Wash drawing by A. van der Heen (fl. 1782) of Thana Fort on the Island  of Salsette near Bombay in Maharashtra, seen from the Esplanade, with  camels and European figures in the foreground, dated 1782. The image is  inscribed on the back in ink: 'Tanah fort taken from the Esplanade. A.  van der Heen fecit, 1782.' 
  
 
Wash drawing by A. van der Heen (fl. 1782) of Thana Fort on the Island  of Salsette, near Bombay in Maharashtra, seen from the mainland with  European figures in the foreground, dated 1782. The image is inscribed  on the back in ink:' Thanah Fort on the Island of Salsett taken from the  Contenent. A. van der Heen delt ad Vivum, 1782.' 
  
![Government House, Parell [Parel, Bombay].](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vivqnWAZWX31Ttcex_aSystAT28_xNv3o2hzuXQhmkLCdUoDvt1mvHsVdmhpy_PvvZU2jO4___RQFLbtiPG7JdN8yIzdJuENGM72JJX9zZFiuVgjdszh7SM5G5aHUEMW3WQSY9Ng=s0-d) Photograph of Government House at Parel in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra,  taken by an unknown photographer, from an album of 40 prints of the  1860s. The busy port and industrial hub of Bombay is the capital of  Maharashtra. During British rule, it was the administrative capital of  the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a peninsula into the Arabian Sea  on the west coast of India, Bombay prospered with maritime trade and  became the chief commercial centre of the Arabian Sea. Originally a  collection of fishing villages of the Koli community built on seven  islands,
Bombay was by the 14th century controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who  ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the  English as part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the Portuguese  princess Catherine of Braganza. This building was originally a  Portuguese Franciscan friary, completed in 1673 and taken over by  Governor Boone in 1719 as a country residence after which it became the  official summer home of Governors of Bombay, and Parel developed as an  affluent district. In 1771, when William Hornby resided here as  Governor, it became the new Government House in place of the original  one in the Fort. The banqueting hall and ballroom are housed in the  shell of the original vaulted chapel, and were much admired for their  splendour. Several mills now sprang up on the newly-reclaimed flats  around Parel and the ensuing congestion and pollution resulted in the  shifting of the Governor's residence to a new Government House at  Malabar Point. After the plague epidemics in the 1890s, the house at  Parel was converted into the Haffkine Research Institute.
Photograph of Government House at Parel in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra,  taken by an unknown photographer, from an album of 40 prints of the  1860s. The busy port and industrial hub of Bombay is the capital of  Maharashtra. During British rule, it was the administrative capital of  the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a peninsula into the Arabian Sea  on the west coast of India, Bombay prospered with maritime trade and  became the chief commercial centre of the Arabian Sea. Originally a  collection of fishing villages of the Koli community built on seven  islands,
Bombay was by the 14th century controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who  ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the  English as part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the Portuguese  princess Catherine of Braganza. This building was originally a  Portuguese Franciscan friary, completed in 1673 and taken over by  Governor Boone in 1719 as a country residence after which it became the  official summer home of Governors of Bombay, and Parel developed as an  affluent district. In 1771, when William Hornby resided here as  Governor, it became the new Government House in place of the original  one in the Fort. The banqueting hall and ballroom are housed in the  shell of the original vaulted chapel, and were much admired for their  splendour. Several mills now sprang up on the newly-reclaimed flats  around Parel and the ensuing congestion and pollution resulted in the  shifting of the Governor's residence to a new Government House at  Malabar Point. After the plague epidemics in the 1890s, the house at  Parel was converted into the Haffkine Research Institute. 
  
 
Mazagon hill was an outlying suburb of Bombay and became a fashionable  place to live in the 18th century. Bungalows and plantation houses were  built by the British and more affluent Indians moving out of the crowded  fort area. During the 19th century, Mazagon experienced a decline as  residents moved into the fashionable Bycullah area nearby. The docks  were reclaimed towards the end of the century and Mazagon was left  landlocked; eventually the fumes from the developing mills drove out any  remaining affluent residents. 
  
 Pencil drawing of Purandhar Fort by Alexander Nash (fl. 1834-1846)  between 1844 and 1845. This image is from an album of 19 drawings  depicting the monuments of Bijapur and the hill forts of Dejouri and  Purandhar, made during a Revenue Survey of the Deccan. Nash served with  the Bombay Engineers and from 1836 was mainly employed in the Revenue  Survey of the Deccan, first as an assistant and from 1841 as  Superintendent.
Pencil drawing of Purandhar Fort by Alexander Nash (fl. 1834-1846)  between 1844 and 1845. This image is from an album of 19 drawings  depicting the monuments of Bijapur and the hill forts of Dejouri and  Purandhar, made during a Revenue Survey of the Deccan. Nash served with  the Bombay Engineers and from 1836 was mainly employed in the Revenue  Survey of the Deccan, first as an assistant and from 1841 as  Superintendent.
Purandhar Fort is situated on a basalt cliff commanding a passage  through the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. There are actually two forts  on this site, Purandhar, the stronger of the two and the lower fort of  Wazirgarh, or Vajragad. The fortifications are protected by a wall which  is 42 km in extent and relived by three gateways and six bastions. The  earliest fortifications on this site date from 1350 and there is also a  Mahadev temple near to the Delhi Gate of the fort. Later it became one  of the most important strongholds of Shivaji, the independent Hindu king  of muslim (Mughal) dominated India and was also a retreat for the  Peshwars until in 1818 when it fell to the British under General  Pritzler. 
  
 \
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Pen and ink drawing of the Town Hall in Bombay by an unknown artist  c.1825. Bombay, the capital of Maharashtra, is one of India's major  industrial centres. The Town Hall is situated on the east side of  Elphinstone Circle, formally Bombay Green, in the fort area of Bombay.  The Town Hall was designed in the Neo-Classical style by Colonel Cowper  of the Bombay Engineers and the construction started before he died in  1825. This drawing may be one of the preparatory works for the final  design of the building. The Town Hall was finally completed in 1833 with  the assistance of Charles Waddington. 
  
 
The panoramic view (which continues on plate two) depicts the dockyard  and fort areas, including the Pier Head Battery on the left. Chaul, the  seaport of Konkan, can be seen on the right, with the island of Karanja  on the left. Completed in 1784 under the governorship of William Hornby,  the Hornby Vellard was the first major work of reclamation in Bombay.  The dockyard itself was initiated by the famous Wadia family, who moved  to Bombay from Surat in 1736. Bombay soon began to develop into a major  trading town and by the middle of the century workers from the  neighbouring towns, including the Bhandaries from Chaul, and goldsmiths,  ironsmiths and weavers from Gujarat, migrated to the island. 
  
 Bombay was originally composed of seven islands. However, since the 18th  century, land reclamation projects joining the islands together have  dramatically altered its topography. By 1838, the Island of Colaba was  connected to Bombay by a causeway that was only accessible at low tide.  In this view, we can see the causeway being constructed with the use of  timber. Bombay came under English control as part of the dowry brought  to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza in 1661.  The fort area, shown in this view, was located on Bombay Island.
Artist: Gonsalves, Jose M. (fl. 1826-c.1842)
Medium: Lithograph
Date: 1826
Bombay was originally composed of seven islands. However, since the 18th  century, land reclamation projects joining the islands together have  dramatically altered its topography. By 1838, the Island of Colaba was  connected to Bombay by a causeway that was only accessible at low tide.  In this view, we can see the causeway being constructed with the use of  timber. Bombay came under English control as part of the dowry brought  to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza in 1661.  The fort area, shown in this view, was located on Bombay Island.
Artist: Gonsalves, Jose M. (fl. 1826-c.1842)
Medium: Lithograph
Date: 1826 
  
 
Photograph of a panoramic view of Bombay (Mumbai), part of the Earl of  Jersey collection taken in the 1880s by an unknown photographer. The  capital of Maharastha on the west coast of India, Bombay was originally a  group of fishing villages. By the 14th century it was controlled by the  Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th century.  In 1661 it passed to the English as part of the dowry brought to Charles  II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. In the 17th  century, the British built up fortifications around the original  Portuguese settlement of the area overlooking the harbour. In the 1760s  the fortifications were enhanced as the British were engaged in war with  France in both Europe and India. By the 19th century the British had  established control and in 1864 the fort walls were torn down and the  area was converted into the central district of Bombay city. The removal  of the ramparts of the fort opened up the city to new developments in  architecture, and in the second half of the 19th century accelerated  building activity was fuelled by its booming maritime trade. This  photograph is taken in two parts and looks across Back Bay from the top  of Malabar Hill. 
  
 
A photograph of the Esplanade and Bandstand, Bombay from the 'Vibart  Collection of Views in South India' taken by an unknown photographer  about 1855. After the fall of the Portuguese fort of Bassein in 1739, an  Esplanade and parade ground was cleared from the walls of the Bombay  fort almost upto present day Crawford Market. People sometimes drove  around the esplanade in the evenings as a form of relaxation or simply  sat around relaxing. In the early part of the 20th century, tents for  showing films were pitched here. 
  
 
Coloured lithograph of the Hill Fort of Mhowle in the Western Ghats in  Maharashtra by Rudolph Ackermann (1764-1834) after an original drawing  by Captain James Barton (1793-1829). Plate 8 of 'Captain James Barton's  12 Views of Hill Forts in the Western Ghats near Bombay' published in  London c.1820. The Western Ghats are a range of hills that reach from  the state of Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu and separate Bombay, on the  western coast, from central India. This view shows a British encampment  in front of a large outcrop of rock at Mowle. The artist, Captain James  Barton, was an artillery officer who served in the third Anglo-Maratha  war in 1817-19. 
  
 Coloured engraving of Bombay by Jan Van Ryne (1712-60) published in  London in 1754. The area of Bombay was originally composed of seven  islands. In 1661, these islands were acquired by the British Crown from  the Portuguese as part of the marriage dowry of Catherine of Braganza  when she married Charles II. From 1668, the East India Company leased  the land from the British Crown and developed the area as a trading  port. A manor house of the Portuguese, situated on Bombay Island,  provided a suitable site for the fort. A custom house, warehouse, quay  and fortifications were also built soon after. Under the governorship of  Charles Boone in the early 18th century, outer fortifications around  the town of Bombay were constructed as well as a number of public  buildings, including the Church of St Thomas. In this view, we can see  the custom house, the Church of St Thomas and the flagstaff. By the  1860s, the need for military defence lessened and Governor Sir Bartle  Frere demolished the fort walls. As a result, Bombay underwent an  ambitious phase of building in the Victorian style.
Coloured engraving of Bombay by Jan Van Ryne (1712-60) published in  London in 1754. The area of Bombay was originally composed of seven  islands. In 1661, these islands were acquired by the British Crown from  the Portuguese as part of the marriage dowry of Catherine of Braganza  when she married Charles II. From 1668, the East India Company leased  the land from the British Crown and developed the area as a trading  port. A manor house of the Portuguese, situated on Bombay Island,  provided a suitable site for the fort. A custom house, warehouse, quay  and fortifications were also built soon after. Under the governorship of  Charles Boone in the early 18th century, outer fortifications around  the town of Bombay were constructed as well as a number of public  buildings, including the Church of St Thomas. In this view, we can see  the custom house, the Church of St Thomas and the flagstaff. By the  1860s, the need for military defence lessened and Governor Sir Bartle  Frere demolished the fort walls. As a result, Bombay underwent an  ambitious phase of building in the Victorian style. 
  
Coloured aquatint by J. Baily (fl. 1810-37) after an original drawing by  William Westall (1781-1850) of the Fort at Bombay in Maharashtra  published by Joyce Gold in London in 1809. Built on seven islands,  Bombay was ceded to the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it was  part of the dowry brought to Charles II of England when he married the  Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. In the late 17th century, the  Portuguese settlement on Bombay Island was developed as a trading port  with Bombay Castle at the epicentre. Although the fortifications were  enhanced in order to protect Bombay in the disputes between France and  England in the 1760s, such defence was obsolete by the mid 19th century.  The British, under the governorship of Sir Henry Bartle Frere, tore  down the fort walls and redeveloped the area. 
  
 From Salsette near Bombay, Forbes(1749-1819) sailed to Karanja and  landed about two miles from the principal town, situated between two  lofty mountains, on the west. He observed that it was: 'nothing more  than a large Mahratta village, with low-straggling houses, near a tank  covered with wild ducks and water-fowls, hitherto unmolested by  Europeans. On its bank a small fort, a Portuguese church and a Hindoo  temple embellished the view. It commands a western view of the town and  harbour of Bombay, Salsette and all the adjacent islands, and to the  east the mountains of the continent, and nearer plains of Caranjah;  abounding in rice-fields, coco-nut, palmyra, mango and tamarind trees,  filled with monkeys, parrots, owls, and singing-birds of various kinds'.
From Salsette near Bombay, Forbes(1749-1819) sailed to Karanja and  landed about two miles from the principal town, situated between two  lofty mountains, on the west. He observed that it was: 'nothing more  than a large Mahratta village, with low-straggling houses, near a tank  covered with wild ducks and water-fowls, hitherto unmolested by  Europeans. On its bank a small fort, a Portuguese church and a Hindoo  temple embellished the view. It commands a western view of the town and  harbour of Bombay, Salsette and all the adjacent islands, and to the  east the mountains of the continent, and nearer plains of Caranjah;  abounding in rice-fields, coco-nut, palmyra, mango and tamarind trees,  filled with monkeys, parrots, owls, and singing-birds of various kinds'. 
  
 
From the vantage of Sion fort, the view opens out to the island of  Mahim, which was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In the  1670s the convent of Our Lady of Salvation was built on the island, and a  Franciscan church constructed in what is now Dadar. In the 17th  century, the Englishman John Fryer wrote of a customs house and a guard  house on the island. 
  
 Lithograph of the Dutch Factory and Fort at Vengurla by William Spreat  after an original sketch by Robert Pouget, one of a series of 'Views in  India and in the vicinity of Bombay' published in London c.1850.  Vengurla was a Dutch settlement from 1638 and they used the port to take  on supplies during their eight month blockade of Goa. The town was  often a retreat for pirates in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  A small British factory was set up in the early 1770s and the town and  port were ceded to the British in 1812.hographer: Spreat, William (fl.  mid-19th century)Medium: LithographDate: 1850
Lithograph of the Dutch Factory and Fort at Vengurla by William Spreat  after an original sketch by Robert Pouget, one of a series of 'Views in  India and in the vicinity of Bombay' published in London c.1850.  Vengurla was a Dutch settlement from 1638 and they used the port to take  on supplies during their eight month blockade of Goa. The town was  often a retreat for pirates in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  A small British factory was set up in the early 1770s and the town and  port were ceded to the British in 1812.hographer: Spreat, William (fl.  mid-19th century)Medium: LithographDate: 1850 
  
 Coloured lithograph of a view in Bassein Fort by Rudolph Ackermann  (1764-1834) after Captain James Barton (1793-1829) plate 6 of Barton's  12 Views of Hill Forts in the Western Ghats near Bombay published in  London c.1820. Bassein (Vasai) is situated at the mouth of the Ulhas  River north of Bombay. In 1534, the Portuguese seized Bassein from  Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, and the town remained in their  control for just over 200 years. At the height of its prosperity,  Bassein had 5 convents and 13 churches. In 1739, Bassein was taken by  the Marathas. In 1802, the British secured the Treaty of Bassein with  Peshwa Baji Rao II, which allowed British forces to be stationed in  Maratha territory.
Coloured lithograph of a view in Bassein Fort by Rudolph Ackermann  (1764-1834) after Captain James Barton (1793-1829) plate 6 of Barton's  12 Views of Hill Forts in the Western Ghats near Bombay published in  London c.1820. Bassein (Vasai) is situated at the mouth of the Ulhas  River north of Bombay. In 1534, the Portuguese seized Bassein from  Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, and the town remained in their  control for just over 200 years. At the height of its prosperity,  Bassein had 5 convents and 13 churches. In 1739, Bassein was taken by  the Marathas. In 1802, the British secured the Treaty of Bassein with  Peshwa Baji Rao II, which allowed British forces to be stationed in  Maratha territory. 
  
 This view is of a street composed of western Indian wooden architecture in a thriving bazaar
This view is of a street composed of western Indian wooden architecture in a thriving bazaar 
  
Artist: Miller, William (1795-1836) Medium: Wash
showing the view from Fort George in Bombay towards Mazagaon by William  Miller (1795-1836) c.1828. Inscribed on reverse: 'View from the  Esplenade of Fort George Bombay towards Mazagon'.
The area of Bombay was orignally made up of seven islands, including  Mazagon. From the mid-16th century, the Portuguese had a manor house  located here that was closely associated with the De Souza family. After  the area of Bombay was ceded to English control as part of the dowry  brought to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza  in 1661, Mazagon became an affluent residential district. 
   
 
Lithographer: Spreat, William (fl. mid-19th century)Medium: LithographDate: 1850
Lithograph of the  Fort at Vijayadurg by William Spreat after an original sketch by Robert  Pouget and one of a series of 'Views in India and in the vicinity of  Bombay' dated c.1850 and published in London.
The  Fort at Vijayadurg is located at the mouth of the Vaghotan creek on the  western coast of India between Goa and Bombay. The fort, built by the  Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, was strengthened and enlarged by the  Maratha ruler Shivaji from 1669. While main entrance to the fort on the  landward side was protected by outworks and a moat, the inner circuit of  walls include 20 towers and rise to the height of 36m.
  
 This photograph showing the fort and cotton market at Bombay, what is  now modern-day Mumbai, was taken in the 1860s to form part of an album  entitled 'Photographs of India and Overland Route'. The fort was  constructed between 1715 and 1722 under Charles Boone’s governorship to  protect the island city from seabourne assailants. Early in the  nineteenth century the area expanded with the construction of several  public buildings including the Town Hall (1833), the Mint (1824-29),  Customs House and St. Andrew’s Church (1819). With the acceleration of  trade and commerce later in the century Bombay was transformed into a  colonial town of high architectural accomplishment. This was largely due  to Governor Sir Bartle Frere, who in 1862 initiated improvements such  as road widening and the restructuring of squares.
This photograph showing the fort and cotton market at Bombay, what is  now modern-day Mumbai, was taken in the 1860s to form part of an album  entitled 'Photographs of India and Overland Route'. The fort was  constructed between 1715 and 1722 under Charles Boone’s governorship to  protect the island city from seabourne assailants. Early in the  nineteenth century the area expanded with the construction of several  public buildings including the Town Hall (1833), the Mint (1824-29),  Customs House and St. Andrew’s Church (1819). With the acceleration of  trade and commerce later in the century Bombay was transformed into a  colonial town of high architectural accomplishment. This was largely due  to Governor Sir Bartle Frere, who in 1862 initiated improvements such  as road widening and the restructuring of squares. 
  
 
Photograph taken shortly before the demolition of the rampart and moat  of the Fort in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, by an unknown photographer,  from an album of 40 prints of the 1860s. The busy port and industrial  hub of Bombay is the capital of Maharashtra. During British rule, it was  the administrative capital of the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a  peninsula into the Arabian Sea on the west coast of India, Bombay  prospered with maritime trade and became the chief commercial centre of  the Arabian Sea. Originally a collection of fishing villages of the Koli  communitybuilt on seven islands, Bombay was by the 14th century  controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in  the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the English as part of the dowry  brought to Charles II by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza.  The British built up fortifications around Bombay harbour in the 17th  century around the original Portuguese settlement. In the 1760s the  fortifications were enhanced as the British were engaged in war with  France in both Europe and India. By the 19th century the British had  established control over India and the fort walls were torn down and the  area converted into the central district of Bombay city. 
  
 
Photograph with a view looking towards a street of private houses at the  Fort perimeter, after the removal of the ramparts, in Bombay (Mumbai),  Maharashtra, taken by an unknown photographer, from an album of 40  prints of the 1860s. The busy port and industrial hub of Bombay is the  capital of Maharashtra. During British rule, it was the administrative  capital of the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a peninsula into the  Arabian Sea on the west coast of India, Bombay prospered with maritime  trade and became the chief commercial centre of the Arabian Sea.  Originally a collection of fishing villages of the Koli communitybuilt  on seven islands,
Bombay was by the 14th century controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who  ceded it to the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the  English as part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the Portuguese  princess Catherine of Braganza. The British built up fortifications  around Bombay harbour in the 17th century around the original Portuguese  settlement. In the 1760s the fortifications were enhanced as the  British were engaged in war with France in both Europe and India. By the  19th century the British had established control over India and the  fort walls were torn down and the area converted into the central  district of Bombay city. 
  
 Photograph  of the High Court, Rajabai Tower and University library in Bombay  (Mumbai), part of the Earl of Jersey collection taken by an unknown  photographer in the 1880s. The capital of Maharashtra on the west coast  of India, Bombay was originally a group of fishing villages. By the 14th  century Bombay was controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to  the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the English as  part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the Portuguese princess  Catherine of Braganza. In the 17th century, the British built up  fortifications around the original Portuguese settlement of the area  overlooking the harbour. In the 1760s the fortifications were enhanced  as the British were engaged in war with France in both Europe and India.  By the 19th century the British had established control and in 1864 the  fort walls were torn down and the area was converted into the central  district of Bombay city. The removal of the ramparts of the fort opened  up the city to new developments in architecture, and in the second half  of the 19th century accelerated building activity was fuelled by its  booming maritime trade. The High Court, pictured on the right, is on the  border of what was once the walled fort of Bombay. The Rajabai Clock  Tower to its left stands 260 feet high and is positioned above the  library. The University Library and Rajabai Tower were designed by Sir  George Gilbert Scott and were completed in 1878 in a French Gothic  style.
Photograph  of the High Court, Rajabai Tower and University library in Bombay  (Mumbai), part of the Earl of Jersey collection taken by an unknown  photographer in the 1880s. The capital of Maharashtra on the west coast  of India, Bombay was originally a group of fishing villages. By the 14th  century Bombay was controlled by the Gujarat Sultanate who ceded it to  the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1661 it passed to the English as  part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the Portuguese princess  Catherine of Braganza. In the 17th century, the British built up  fortifications around the original Portuguese settlement of the area  overlooking the harbour. In the 1760s the fortifications were enhanced  as the British were engaged in war with France in both Europe and India.  By the 19th century the British had established control and in 1864 the  fort walls were torn down and the area was converted into the central  district of Bombay city. The removal of the ramparts of the fort opened  up the city to new developments in architecture, and in the second half  of the 19th century accelerated building activity was fuelled by its  booming maritime trade. The High Court, pictured on the right, is on the  border of what was once the walled fort of Bombay. The Rajabai Clock  Tower to its left stands 260 feet high and is positioned above the  library. The University Library and Rajabai Tower were designed by Sir  George Gilbert Scott and were completed in 1878 in a French Gothic  style. 
  
 
Coloured lithograph  of the 'Hill Fort of Kurnallah' in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra by  Rudolph Ackermann (1764-1834) after an original drawing by Captain James  Barton (1793-1829). Plate 9 of Captain James Barton's '12 Views of Hill  Forts in the Western Ghats near Bombay' published in London c.1820.
Western  Ghats are a range of hills that reach from the state of Maharashtra to  Tamil Nadu and separate Bombay, on the western coast, from central  India. The artist, Captain James Barton, was an artillery officer who  served in the third Anglo-Maratha war in 1817-19.
  
THE GREAT FIRE OF BOMBAY  by Lieut-Col. Williamson during the dreadful fire of the night of 17th Feb 1803.'
Coloured  aquatint of the fire in Bombay from Malabar Point on the night of 17  February 1803 by J.S. Barth from the drawing by Thomas George Williamson  published by R.Cribb on the 5 January 1804. Malabar Point is situated  at the tip of Back Bay on the eastern side of Bombay. This view looks  towards the fort area of Bombay to the west. Bombay Fort was constructed  between 1715 and 1722 under the governorship of Charles Boone.
The original British community lived within the fort area until it was  largely destroyed by the devastating fire of 17 February 1803 after  which a new town with wider streets was built. Early in the 19th century  the area expanded with the construction of several public buildings  including the Town Hall (1833), the Mint (1824-29), Customs House and  St. Andrew’s Church (1819). With the acceleration of trade and commerce  later in the century Mumbai was transformed into a thriving trading port  and commercial centre. 
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The Sidis –Freedmen of the Indian Ocean http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/files/38503/122910237757.BlackLiberators.pdf/7.BlackLiberators.pdf
There were essentially three types of freedmen employed by the Royal Navy: Africans 
liberated by the navy and employed directly; Africans liberated and taken by the Royal 
Navy to be employed in Bombay and the Seychelles; and manumitted Africans employed 
in the ports of East Africa. All of these men were termed “Seedies” by the Royal Navy 
(Spelt “Sidis”in East Africa and in India). In the nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian English 
usage, Sidis came to denote Moslem seamen originally from the Swahili coast, especially 
Zanzibar, particularly sailors and harbour workers. British census records indicate the 
birthplaces, names and occupations of Sidis which helps to differentiate between three 
groups of Sidis. 
Africans were given various names by crew of the ship that liberated them. Sometimes 
they were given the name of the ship itself; others were given a name based on 
something they asked for by mimicking, on a duty that they undertook on board, or even 
after a member of British royalty. After being deposited in Bombay by British ships, 
young African freedmen sometimes entered the British navy as cabin boys. At least one 
freed African was working at Multan in  the Royal Navy in 1849. In Bombay, freed 
Africans joined Indian ship  crews and in 1864, more than  half of the (probably under 
reported) two thousand Africans in Bombay earned their living as sailors or in related 
maritime work. Younger Africans were sent to mission schools such as the one at Nasik, 
where they learned various skills. Between 1861 and 1872, the Royal Navy delivered 
2,409 “liberated” Africans to the Seychelles. Many of these were indentured to planters, 
but some were employed by the Royal Navy. Sidis from the Seychelles usually bore 
European names and were likely to be Christians.  
Many Sidis were escapees or manumitted slaves. Records often show their birthplace as 
Zanzibar, where slaves or freedmen constituted a significant portion of the population. 
Sometimes they are described as born in  “Africa – not known”. Frequently they are 
shown as born at a port known for its slave market such as  Zanzibar, Kilwa, or 
Mozambique. Many of these men were nominally Moslem and  the recurring common 
names of freedmen on the census returns include Mubarak (or Mabruki), Farhan, Faraj, 
Murjan, and Marzuq. Family names remain “unknown”. The first Sidi seaman to be known 
in Europe was Farhan, hired by the explorer Lt. John H. Speke in Aden in early 1855 for 
his expedition to Somaliland.  
It is not surprising that the plan announced by the Admiralty on 7th April 1870 to end the 
service of the Kru men on the East Coast was met with opposition from the officers of the 
Cape Station. This move was prompted by the difficulty in bringing the West African Kru 
men back and forth to the East African Station. It was therefore decided by the Admiralty 
that Sidis should replace Kru men. Lushington was sceptical about their abilities and 
estimated that it would take 12 Sidis to make up for 8 Kru men. Commodore Heath was 
totally opposed to the change as were most of the officiating ship commanders on the 
station. Support for employment of the Sidis came from other quarters, including the 
white explorers of the period. Some of these explorer Sidis had been sailors in the Royal 
Navy. Rahan for example worked with the Royal Navy in Rangoon before joining Speke in 
1852. Frij who received a medal from the  Royal Geographical Society travelled with 
Speke in 1860-63. Mabruki Majera had served  on a man-of-war before working with 
Thomson and Johnson in the 1880’s. 
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It then appears that there were five sets of  Siddi transfers or migrations from East Africa to India.
1.  As slaves sold by  Muslim Arab tradesmen to Hindu South Indian princes
 
2. As slave/soldiers sold by Muslim Arab tradesmen to Hindu Central, Western and  Eastern Indian princes (habshis)
 
3.  As slaves sold by  Muslim Arab tradesmen to Catholic Portuguese sea farers who then transported them to Goa (siddis) and other Portuguese possessions on the west Coast of India, and to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (kaffirs)
 
4.  Those who migrated and settled in areas along the NW Frontier of the Indian subcontinent (now Pakistan) (sheedes)
 
5. Those who settled further south of the NW frontier in the Indian State of Gujarat (siddis)
Most Siddis -- estimated to number between 20,000 and 30,000 in a nation of  over a billion people -- live in the western Indian State of Gujarat. Smaller populations are found in neighboring Maharashtra and two southern states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The village of Jambur, Gujarat, deep in the Gir forest, is the site for one of two exclusively Siddi settlements. It is miserably poor. The headman explains that yes, everyone in Jambur is a Siddi. They speak the same Gujarati language and eat the same flavorful food as other villagers, but nevertheless stand out from their neighbors.
A number of Africans (Ethiopians aka Abyssinians aka  Habshis) who  were enslaved and taken to India in medieval and post-medieval times eventually rose to positions of power and influence in the 16th century e.g.  Shams ud-Dawlah Muhammad al-Habshi, Bilal Habshi, Said Safar Salami and Shaik Said al-Habshi Sultani (perhaps best remembered as the builder of a famous mosque, known by his name, in Ahmedabad)

Murud-Janjira are situated near Kashid. Murud is an old fisherman town with a nice beach. Janjira is a famous fort in the middle of the sea near Murud. The tourists can also visit the Nawab’s palace, Ganapati Pule temple and the beautiful Birla temple nearby. About ten km from Kashid beach is the Phansad bird sanctuary.
 
Areal view of -Murud Janjira Fort.
 
 
 slave ship
slave ship
Ship of British East India Company
Shivaji and the Sidis, 1675-1680.
In October 1679, to guard the southern shores of Bombay harbour against the Sidi's raids, Shivaji took possession of the small rocky island of Khanderi or Kenery at the mouth of the harbour. This island was claimed both by the Portuguese and by the English, but it had been neglected as it was supposed to have no fresh water. On its capture by Shivaji the English and Sidis attempted to turn out the Marathas. The English sent an aged captain, or according to another account a drunk lieutenant, in a small vessel to find out what the Marathas meant by landing on the island. The officer was induced to land, and he and his crew were cut off. The Revenge, a pink, and seven native craft were ordered to lie at anchor and block all approach to the rock. On this, the Marathas attacked the English fleet, took one grab, and put to flight all except the Revenge. The little man-of-war was commanded by Captain Minchin, and the gallant Captain Keigwin was with him as Commodore. These officers allowed the Marathas to board, and then, sweeping the decks with their great guns, destroyed some hundreds, sunk four of the enemy's vessels, and put the rest to flight. In spite of this success the Marathas continued to hold Khanderi. Soon after (9th January 1680), as a counter movement, Sidi Kasim entrenched himself on Underi or Henery rock, about two miles to the east of Khanderi, and the Marathas in vain tried to drive him out. The possession of these islands by enemies, or, at best, by doubtful friends, imperilled Bombay. The Deputy Governor prayed the Court for leave to expel them. In reply he was censured for not having called out the Company's ships and prevented the capture. But, owing to want of funds and the depressed state of trade, he was ordered to make no attempt to recover the islands, and was advised to avoid interference in all wars between Indian powers. An agreement was accordingly made acquiescing in Shivaji s possession of Khanderi.[ Bruce's Annals, II. 447-448; Anderson's English in Western India, 82; Low's Indian Navy, I. 65-69.]