Buzurg ibn Shahriyar of Ramhurmuz (c.912–c.1009), a native of Khuzistan Province, southwest of Persia, was a sea captain who likely lived in one of the ports of the Persian Gulf. He was a frequent traveller on the Indian Ocean, connecting merchants from Arabia, Persia, India, and Asia.

In The Book of the Marvels of India, Ibn Shahriyar compiled over 130 stories from people he encountered. Like many of his contemporaries, tales often bordered between myth and reality; even those bordering on fiction, however, provided remarkable insight into the period's beliefs, cultures, and perspectives.

One of the main characters in the book was a Jewish trader, Ishaq, who was born in Sohar Oman. In 882 CE, Ishaq left Oman with just a tiny sum of money. However, he returned thirty years later with immense wealth and vast riches, including a portfolio of luxuries goods from the Far East. He soon returned to China but was killed en route in Sumatra, an island in modern Indonesia.