Red Sea shipping route

Timeline

1. 969–1100Cairo–Aden–Jeddah · EgyptAfter the Fatimids controlled Egypt, Aden and Jeddah served as gateways to Indian Ocean trade; merchant ships sailed north up the Red Sea to Suez, then transferred overland to the Mediterranean. Spices, pearls, and ivory imported from India and East Africa were distributed via the Red Sea route to West Asia and Europe.
2. 1131–1140Aden and the Gulf of Suez · YemenIn the 1130s the Fatimids still controlled Egypt and the Red Sea ports, and shipping was not fundamentally disrupted on the eve of the Second Crusade (1147–1149). Arab and Indian ships used the monsoon to travel between Aden, Calicut, and Colombo, shipping north via the Red Sea to Cairo, then distributing to Levant and European markets.
3. 1171–1400Cairo and Jeddah port · HejazSaladin and the Mamluk sultanate inherited and expanded Red Sea trade; Jeddah became a dual hub for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Indian Ocean commerce. European merchants such as the Venetians purchased Eastern goods via Egypt, and the Red Sea route retained global trade significance into the later Middle Ages.