In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale

Bomma, or the enslaved man mentioned in MS H.6, is a central figure of In an Antique Land. Ghosh attempts to explore his life, mostly using evidence from the Geniza. Ghosh learns that Bomma was an enslaved Indian man from Tulunad, near Mangalore. It is suggested that Ben Yiju bought him shortly after he arrived in Mangalore and Bomma soon began to play a role in Ben Yiju’s business, which expanded as time went on. The only event of his life that Ghosh can confidently write about is his drunken antics during a pirate raid on Aden. Finally, a small bit of evidence shows that Bomma moved to Egypt with Ben Yiju and continued to play an active role in his business.

Ghosh opens the book by discussing the letter which first alerted him to Bomma’s existence, describes the narrative as “his own story” (254), and states that it was knowing Bomma had been to Egypt that made him feel entitled to be there. Bomma, the enslaved Indian of a Jewish merchant who moved to Yemen and Egypt, is Ghosh’s ultimate proof of the multicultural but peaceful life on the Indian Ocean trade routes.

He is also a figure who is unnamed for most of the narrative, and thus the “ultimate” anonymous figure, like those whose stories Ghosh seeks to explore. Bomma thus allows Ghosh to develop central thematic aspects of the book. Moreover, Ghosh clearly relates to Bomma, seeing in him another Indian living abroad. His thematic and personal relevance thus explain his critical role in the text.

Abraham Ben Yiju was the Jewish merchant whose letters were discovered in the Geniza of the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Through these letters, Ghosh studies lives of people on the Indian Ocean trade routes. Ghosh’s recreation of Ben Yiju’s life shows that he was raised in Ifriqia, Tunisia, where he gained an education and then moved eastwards. There, he contacted an important merchant named Madmun and was introduced to his circle, which helped establish him in the Indian Ocean trade. At some point before 1132 he moved (or was forced to flee) to Mangalore, where he bought Bomma and Ashu, the latter of whom Ghosh theorizes he fell in love and had children with. He stayed there for almost 20 years before leaving (probably without Ashu), first to Aden and then to Egypt. No more is known about him after his daughter was married to his nephew.

Ben Yiju’s letters provide the “trapdoor” (15) into the lives of ordinary medieval people that Ghosh uses. His story is used as a mirror for Ghosh’s Egyptian subjects. In both narrative strands, Ghosh emphasizes how Ben Yiju and the Egyptians are impacted by the consistent draws towards migration when economic opportunity arrives. Ben Yiju and ‘Eid are also shown to share a romance outside of their usual cultural norms.

Nevertheless, Ghosh also emphasizes the differences between Ben Yiju’s life and that of the modern-day Egyptians, emphasizing his wide travelling and multicultural links. Ghosh thus uses Ben Yiju to show both the continuity and the change of the human experience since medieval times.

Nabeel is a resident of Nashawy that Ghosh meets and befriends. He is the brother of ‘Ali and the cousin/best friend of Isma’il. Ghosh describes him as quiet, contemplative, with a dislike for manual labor, but also the only person on his trip that attempted to relate to how Ghosh felt. He and Isma’il initially sought to join the Ministry of Agriculture to become technical advisors to fellaheen, a well-respected position. However, following his parents’ death and Isma’il’s urging, he moved to Iraq in 1986, becoming an assistant in a photographer’s shop. He sends the money from this job home, allowing his family to be more prosperous, but he fails to leave during the buildup to the Gulf War. The book ends with Ghosh and his family worrying over whether he will make it back.

Nabeel is one of the many Egyptian villagers that Ghosh seeks to give a story to, but Nabeel receives special focus, both for his empathy towards Ghosh and his uncertain future in the Epilogue. It is Nabeel and Bomma who are the focus of the Epilogue, with Ghosh highlighting how each of them dropped off the historical record. Ghosh describes Nabeel (though it is also applicable to Bomma) vanishing “into the anonymity of History” (353). This shows the links that Ghosh draws between historical and contemporary people who escape the usual historical record. Ghosh, in recording Nabeel’s life, shows his commitment to providing a record for these individuals, while demonstrating how he makes connections between all peoples that have been ignored.

Shaikh Musa is an elderly fellah that Ghosh befriends early into his first visit. He has two children from his first marriage, Ahmed (who was educated in school) and Hasan (who was raised as an agricultural laborer). Shortly before Ghosh visits Egypt, Shaikh Musa marries again, becoming connected to Abu-‘Ali’s family. He hints to Ghosh having issues with Abu-‘Ali, but is unwilling to directly criticize him because of their family link.

While Ghosh is visiting Cairo, Shaikh Musa’s favorite son Hasan dies, an event which deeply saddens him. Following this bereavement, he continues to communicate with Ghosh (who has now gone to Nashawy), telling him about the people that used to live there. Later, during Ghosh’s second trip, he tells Ghosh about the changes to the village and, in Ghosh’s estimation, is himself surprised by what he sees. Due to the changes that occur, Shaikh Musa ends up finding himself in the novel position of owning less than most of the villagers.

In the book, Shaikh Musa appears as a supportive figure for Ghosh and as an example of an Egyptian still deeply invested in the traditional ways of the village. He refuses to criticize Abu-‘Ali directly because of their family bond, supports Imam Ibrahim despite the criticisms of the younger generations, and is unaffected by the social changes which allow others to act outside of traditional boundaries (such as them entering the refrigerator store in their fellah’s robes while he refuses to). Ghosh uses Shaikh Musa to highlight the changes that overcome the village, with his consistency emphasizing the shifts of others.

Ustaz (teacher) Sabry is a young teacher in the village, who is greatly respected by the villagers for his eloquence and piety. Many villagers apparently repeated stories of the time he defeated an atheist in an argument about God.

Ustaz Sabry appears only a handful of times in the book but represents an important trend in the village. He and Ghosh first meet at the primary school, where Ustaz Sabry impresses Ghosh with his evident knowledge; then Ghosh visits his house while he is hosting friends; and finally he is mentioned feeling doubtful about the money coming in from Iraq during Ghosh’s second trip. He is generally depicted in the text as an intelligent individual but also the emblem of the younger generations in the village. He, and many of his followers, support a more fundamentalist interpretation of Islam which denies the role of local superstition or folklore and focuses on “rooting out all exploitation and unbelief” (147-8). This fundamentalism, and his eloquence, mean that he is generally supported by the young (especially Isma’il) but disliked by the older generations, including Shaikh Musa. He is ultimately presented as the opposite of Imam Ibrahim in character, outlook, and support among villagers. Ghosh thus uses him to explore the changes within the village.

The same trend of a movement against folklore and “superstition” is also revealed to be present in India when Ghosh visits the Magavira town. Ghosh shows that Ustaz Sabry is part of a wider, reactionary trend, which seeks to further define the boundaries between people.