Venetian Levant Trade

Timeline

1. 1490–1498Alexandria · Eastern Mediterranean coastVenetian merchant fleets regularly reached Alexandria in Egypt, where with Mamluk Sultanate permission they carried pepper, cinnamon, and other spices transshipped from the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea on to Venice for distribution across Europe.
2. 1491–1500Beirut · LebanonVenice maintained trading houses and agent networks along the Levant coast, importing Syrian silk, Damascus steel goods, and dyes, and dealing with local merchants and political forces on the eve of Ottoman expansion to secure passage.
3. 1498–1500Venice · VeniceAfter news of da Gama's arrival in India reached Europe, the Venetian Senate began assessing spice prices and route risks. Old trade routes still dominated in the late 1490s, but long-term decline loomed, prompting the Republic to increase diplomatic and naval investment.