The 3,000-year-old journey of passport, from ancient empires till 21st century

From ancient scrolls to today's sleek, biometric marvels, the passport's journey mirrors humanity's quest for freedom and control. Once a humble scroll granting safe passage, it now stands as a symbol of global order, yet also reflects deep divisions. In a world where borders shift and citizenship is often a privilege, the passport weaves a tale of our yearning for both connection and identity.

The modern passport, as we know it today, emerged as a provisional measure in the wake of World War I, opening a new chapter in its illustrious history. Yet, its origins trace back through millennia, weaving a tale through ancient civilisations where travel documents granted safe passage and established identity.

In the early epochs of human history, migration began, unbounded by the constraints of modern borders.
In those primordial times, without the constraints of boundaries or legalities, humans and other beings roamed freely, their journeys unimpeded by the divisions we now know.
The lines drawn by later civilisations not only carved up lands but also transformed the very essence of exploration and discovery, shaping a world once fluid and open into a mosaic of structured pathways and defined territories.

HOW THE ANCIENT WORLD SAW THE JOURNEY OF TRAVELLERS
From the clay tablets of Mesopotamia to the sealed letters of mediaeval Europe, early forms of travel documentation played crucial roles in trade, diplomacy, and personal security.

These ancient records evolved, mirroring the growing complexity of international relations and the increasing necessity for regulated movement across borders.

In Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE, clay tablets functioned as early travel permits, documenting the movement of goods and people.

Ancient Egypt also utilised official letters of safe conduct to ensure the safety of travellers and traders along their routes.

In the Indian subcontinent, the journey of travel documentation reveals only faint traces from the Mauryan Empire, where the concept of travel permits as we understand them today did not exist.
Instead, official documents and letters of safe conduct were employed.
For example, during Emperor Ashoka’s reign in the 3rd century BCE, edicts were issued to facilitate trade and travel, providing protection and official endorsement.

FROM THE MUGHAL EMPIRE AND BEYOND
As we move into the Mediaeval period, the legacy of travel documentation continued to evolve.
Across the Indian subcontinent, travel was regulated through various forms of legality and endorsement.
Mughal emperors and regional rulers issued ‘Sanads’ or letters of safe conduct to travellers, merchants, pilgrims, and diplomats, ensuring their safe passage and fostering trade and cultural exchange.

The modern passport, a symbol of our regulated globe, traces its roots back to an age when borders were fluid and the concept of travel was a matter of trust rather than legality.
The narrative begins with European colonials, the architects of the contemporary passport system, whose age of exploration saw them traverse and claim lands across the globe, reshaping territories and societies in their wake.

20TH CENTURY IMMIGRANTS AND THE PASSPORT
In sepia-toned photographs and crackling reels of early 20th-century film, the bustling scenes of Ellis Island come to life, waves of immigrants, each seeking a new beginning, passing through with little more than a cursory health check and a few questions.
The absence of a unified global standard for travel documents made such transitions almost effortless.

In contrast, today's passports, replete with microchips, holograms, biometric photos, and barcodes, showcase the marvels of modern technology, a far cry from their ancient origins.

Centuries ago, the 'sauf conduit,' or safe conduct pass, was a rudimentary travel document. It was essentially a written pledge between rulers, a gentleman’s agreement ensuring safe passage across borders, without the spectre of war.
As historian Martin Lloyd notes in 'The Passport: The History of Man’s Most Travelled Document', these early forms were as much about diplomatic courtesy as they were about security.

The landscape of passport regulation began to shift dramatically in the wake of World War I.
The League of Nations, born from the ruins of conflict, envisioned a standardised system for global travel, aiming to foster peace and cooperation.

By 1921, the United States seized the political opportunity to impose stricter immigration controls, enacting the Emergency Quota Act and the Immigration Act of 1924.
These laws curtailed the flood of immigrants seeking better lives, reflecting a growing desire for regulation amidst burgeoning global mobility.

The passport, once a symbol of freedom, has also become a tool of control, wielded by Western-centric powers to assert dominance. 

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, author of The Cosmopolites:
The Coming of the Global Citizen, describes the passport as a shield for the privileged: “I don’t have a particularly strong emotional attachment to any of my passports; I see them as accidents of birth.” Critics argue that the 1920 resolution, while heralding a new era of travelling, also entrenched inequalities, revealing the passport's darker side.

In the early 20th century, the passport's role extended beyond borders, with married American women reduced to mere footnotes in their husbands’ documents, unable to cross borders independently.
Such practices highlight the passport's role in perpetuating gender inequality and control.

Mark Salter’s Rights of Passage cites: The Passport in International Relations explores how the passport became a symbol of Western supremacy, reflecting the broader struggle for identity and sovereignty.
In recent decades, the passport has transformed into a sought-after commodity, subject to the whims of global politics and market forces.

Abrahamian’s research reveals the growing legal market for passports, underscoring the arbitrariness of citizenship.
Today, with 18.6 million passports issued in the U.S. alone in 2016, the passport's significance is undeniable.
It is a gateway to the world, a marker of privilege and power, and a tool of exclusion.

As nations contemplate closed borders and restrictive policies, it’s a poignant moment to reflect on the passport’s essence, a symbol of both opportunity and division, a testament to our complex, ever-evolving global landscape.

Depending on our country of origin, a passport may grant us extreme privilege or extreme distress. It may be a sheltering sky or a burden to bear.

The passport isn’t going anywhere, but the carefully thought-out precautions meant to shape it over decades into a near-perfect document must now evolve as our world changes. So what will it look like next?

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/the-3000-year-old-journey-of-passport-coming-through-empires-till-21st-century-2595090-2024-09-08