Maritime trade between India's west coast and Arabia

Timeline

1. 1288–1289Cambay · GujaratCambay, a major transshipment port of the northern Indian Ocean, gathered merchant ships from Aden, Hormuz, and the Red Sea, exporting Indian cotton cloth and indigo and importing Arabian horses and African ivory. Local Muslim merchant guilds and Hindu merchants jointly governed port tariffs, indirectly supporting the Sultanate's northern Indian finances.
2. 1288–1290Calicut · KeralaMalabar ports such as Calicut attracted Arab and Persian merchants with spices like black pepper and cinnamon, forming a 'monsoon cycle' trade pattern. Coastal Muslim communities (Mappila) served as intermediaries, closely linking South Indian polities with the broader Indian Ocean-Islamic commercial network.