Indian Ocean Spice Routes

Timeline

1. c. -100–700Red Sea–Gulf of Aden–west coast of India · AdenMerchants used the rhythm of the southwest monsoon eastward and the northeast monsoon westward to circulate between the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Indian ports, exchanging spices, frankincense and luxury goods, forming an early Indian Ocean maritime trade circuit.
2. c. 1190–1199Gujarat–Malabar–Sri Lanka · GujaratBy the late 12th century Arab and Persian Muslim merchants dominated monsoon-driven trade, transshipping pepper and gems at Gujarat, Malabar and Sri Lanka, then sending them via the Red Sea or Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean and Western Asia; the network's scale and organizational complexity exceeded that of earlier eras.
3. c. 1300–1500Strait of Malacca and northern Java · Malay PeninsulaProducing areas of cloves, nutmeg and other spices were incorporated into the Indian Ocean network via Java and the Strait of Malacca; the strait became a hub linking East Asia, Southeast Asia and Western Asia, and the spice routes extended further east.