KateHinson76890 at 16:28, 5 April 2026

2026-04-05T16:28:50Z

New page

{{notability|date=July 2025}}
{{Short description|Locality in Grant Road, Mumbai}}
{{Distinguish|Arab Street}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement|
| other_name = Arab Gully
| settlement_type = Neighbourhood in [[Mumbai]]
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| nickname =
| pushpin_map = India Mumbai
| pushpin_label_position =
| mapframe =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Mumbai, India
| coordinates = {{Coord|18.962980|N|72.823524|E}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = India
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_type2 = Metro
| subdivision_name1 = [[Maharashtra]]
| subdivision_name2 = Mumbai
| established_title = First settled by Arabs
| established_date = Early 19th century
| founder =
| named_for = The Arabs who used to live in Mumbai
| government_type = Municipal Corporation
| governing_body = [[Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation|BMC]]
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 4
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code = 400008
| registration_plate = MH-01
| website =
| footnotes =
| demographics1_info1 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
| name = Arab Lane
| official_name = Mohammed Tahir Ansari Marg
}}'''Arab Lane''' is a [[Locality (settlement)|locality]]/[[Back lane|lane]] in [[Grant Road (South Mumbai, India)|Grant Road]] East, [[South Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-26 |title=Video: Massive fire breaks out in Arab Galli in Kamathipura near Grant Road |work=Local Press Co |url=https://localpress.co.in/mumbai/video-massive-fire-breaks-arab-galli-kamathipura-near-grant-road/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is located at the junction of [[Kamathipura]], Bapty Road and [[Play House (Mumbai)|Play House]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-21 |title=Revisiting Manto's Bombay, in words and pictures |url=https://www.firstpost.com/long-reads/revisiting-mantos-bombay-in-words-and-pictures-5228631.html |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Firstpost |language=en-us}}</ref>

==Overview==
Arab Lane is the unofficial and widely used name of the lane officially called Mohammed Tahir Ansari Marg.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manish K |first=Pathak |title=Chota Shakeel's brother-in-law arrested by NIA |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/chota-shakeel-s-brother-in-law-arrested-by-nia-101659640362200.html |work=[[The Hindustan Times]]}}</ref> It was the place of residence of Urdu novelist [[Saadat Hasan Manto]] from 1930s to 1940s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-14 |first=Jyoti |last=Punwani |title=Searching for Manto |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/city-columns/searching-for-manto/articleshow/65395369.cms |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Mumbai Mirror |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-09-29 |title=Mumbaiwale: Walking down Manto's memory lanes |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbaiwale-walking-down-manto-s-memory-lanes/story-XeH7ZiS0pSSEtQ2DMgbmgM.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515110959/https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbaiwale-walking-down-manto-s-memory-lanes/story-XeH7ZiS0pSSEtQ2DMgbmgM.html |archive-date=2022-05-15 |access-date=2025-05-01 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-27 |title=Street Wise: Ghalib may not have lived here but Saadat Hasan Manto did |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/street-wise-ghalib-may-not-have-lived-here-but-saadat-hasan-manto-did-5376269/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The name of the lane could be linked to the Arab pearl [[merchants]] who once resided there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kamalakaran |first=Ajay |date=2022-07-30 |title=When Arab traders made a fortune in pearl trade in Bombay |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/1028957/when-arab-traders-made-a-fortune-in-pearl-trade-in-bombay |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nihira |date=2021-03-08 |title=How street names in Bombay came to be |url=https://citizenmatters.in/how-street-names-in-bombay-came-to-be/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Citizen Matters |language=en-US}}</ref> Another possibility is that it was named after an Arab [[ascetic]] who, about forty-five years ago, claimed to have mystical powers. This ascetic stayed in the lane, and over time, it became associated with him. He formed close ties with several prominent individuals, one of whom, unable to have children, placed his faith in the ascetic, who promised to help him have a family.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Samuel T |last=Sheppard |title=Bombay Place-names and Street-names: An Excursion Into the By-ways of the History of Bombay City |year=2019 |isbn=9789353955366 |publisher=Alpha Editions |pages=21 |language=English}}</ref>

==Politics==
Arab Lane belongs to the [[Mumbadevi Assembly constituency|Mumbadevi]] constituency in the [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|Maharashtra legislative assembly]].<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Election Commission of Maharashtra |title=Map of Mumbadevi constituency |url=https://ceoelection.maharashtra.gov.in/maps/Mumbai%20City/map186.jpg}}</ref> It belongs to the [[Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency|Mumbai South]] constituency in the [[Lok Sabha]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary constituency map of Mumbai |url=https://citizenmatters.in/mumbai-parliamentary-constituency-map/ |website=Citizens Matter}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Arabs in India]]
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[Play House (Mumbai)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Streets in Mumbai]]

Arab Lane - Revision history

KateHinson76890 at 16:28, 5 April 2026