Arab Dhow

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Port of Jeddah · JeddahDuring the Mamluk period, the port of Jeddah gathered large numbers of dhows carrying pilgrims and grain supplies from Egypt, Syria, and North Africa to Mecca. Boats were stitched with coconut-fiber rope and coated with fish oil for waterproofing, sailing according to the winter northeast monsoon southward and the summer southwest monsoon northward, forming a fixed Hajj shipping season.
2. 1374–1377Aden · AdenThe port of Aden in Yemen was the western hub of dhow routes in the Indian Ocean, where vessels from Gujarat, Malabar, and East Africa transshipped pepper, spices, cotton cloth, and African ivory. The Mamluks and Yemen's Rasulid dynasty contested port taxes, and the size of dhow fleets and route security depended directly on the political situation.
3. 1378–1380Suez · SuezIndian Ocean goods were carried by dhow to Suez or al-Tur for unloading, then transported by camel caravan to Cairo and transferred onto the Nile–Mediterranean route, finally reaching Alexandria and Syrian ports. This sea–land intermodal system made Mamluk Egypt the western beneficiary of 14th-century Indian Ocean trade, with the dhow an indispensable maritime link.