Trade between Sri Lanka and the Arab and Persian kingdoms (modern Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia) was clearly well-established by the time the Sassanian Empire formalised diplomatic relations with the court at Anuradhapura in the 5th century CE and Persian merchants established a community there. The relationship between Sri Lanka and the Arab world continued after the decline of Baghdad and the rise of the Fatimid and Mamluk dynasties in Egypt. Sri Lanka also became an important site of Muslim pilgrimage in about the 9th century CE So what was the impact of Arabs and Persians on the foodways of Sri Lankans?