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Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Type Event Region South Asia Time 1391–1400

In the 1390s, the Indian Ocean monsoon trade network linked Arabia, India, Southeast Asia, and the East African coast, while Timurid expansion and Mi…

Timeline

  1. 1391–1395Malacca · MalaysiaAfter Parameswara founded the sultanate, Malacca quickly became a trade hub linking China and the Indian Ocean. Arab, Indian, and Javanese merchants converged there, and the volume of spice and porcelain trade continued to grow.
  2. 1392–1398Gujarat · GujaratPorts on India's west coast such as Gujarat and Calicut exported cotton cloth and pepper to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, with Arab and Persian merchants plying monsoon routes back and forth, forming a highly commercialized trade belt across the middle of the Indian Ocean.
  3. 1396–1400Kilwa · TanzaniaSwahili city-states such as Kilwa on the East African coast continued to participate in the Indian Ocean trade in gold, ivory, and slaves. Timurid expansion in Central Asia disrupted some overland trade routes, prompting more goods to shift to sea routes.

Sources