Arab Lateen-Rigged Vessel

Timeline

1. 900–1300Kilwa · Swahili CoastArab and Persian merchants used monsoon winds to drive dhows back and forth between Aden, Hormuz, and East African ports, carrying ivory, gold, spices, and cotton cloth, forming regularized trade routes around the Indian Ocean.
2. 1380–1430Port of Jeddah · Red SeaThe Mamluk sultanate controlled the Red Sea route to India, with Jeddah and Aden serving as dhow gathering ports; the main vessel types were the baghlah and the boom, carrying pepper, aloeswood, and pilgrims.
3. 1431–1440Calicut · Malabar CoastMerchants of Hormuz and Gujarat used dhows to carry Indian pepper, copra, and gemstones to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, then resold them to the Mediterranean; the single-masted lateen design allowed vessels to penetrate shallow harbors, fitting the rhythm of monsoon sailing seasons.
4. 1500–1900Zubayr · QatarAfter Portuguese intervention in the Indian Ocean, dhow trade routes shifted but the vessel type endured; the Persian Gulf pearl fishery and the East African slave trade still relied on dhow transport until steamships and colonial port systems reshaped shipping.