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Mamluk Red Sea Trade

Type Event Region Egypt Time 1411–1420

In the 1410s, the Mamluk Sultanate kept control of the Indian Ocean–Mediterranean corridor through Red Sea ports like Jeddah and Suakin, while rising…

Timeline

  1. 1411–1415Jeddah · HejazMamluk authorities stationed a harbor official at Jeddah, levying tariffs and cargo inspection fees on Indian–Arab merchant ships entering and leaving the port. Spices, pepper, cotton cloth, and gems were transshipped here to Cairo and Mediterranean ports, forming a major source of sultanate revenue.
  2. 1413–1418Suakin · Red Sea coastThe port of Suakin served as the gateway for Mamluk trade with East African Swahili city-states; caravans and sailing vessels carried gold, ivory, slaves, and tropical goods northward for transshipment via the Red Sea. Mamluk garrisons secured the sea lanes, and commercial and diplomatic ties were maintained with coastal sultanates such as Kilwa.
  3. 1416–1420Red Sea–Gulf of Aden sea lane · YemenThe Mamluks coordinated Red Sea shipping order with powers such as Yemen's Rasulid dynasty; merchant ships sailed with the monsoons between Gujarat, Calicut, and Persian Gulf ports. The stability of the trade network in the 1410s supported the Mamluk economy and sustained Islamic commercial ties with East Africa and South Asia.

Sources