Yemeni Frankincense Trade Route

Timeline

1. c. -500–900South Arabian incense producing areas—Qana/Aden · YemenBoth the Greco-Roman world and Indian markets imported South Arabian resins; caravans and sea lanes carried frankincense and myrrh to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, with Aden long serving as an entrepôt, forming a luxury export system unique to the southern peninsula.
2. c. 1190–1199Aden—Zubayda (Yemen) · AdenIn the late 12th century, political turmoil in Yemen and the extension of some resin-producing areas to Oman and East Africa notwithstanding, Aden still received goods from the interior and the Indian Ocean; frankincense and spices were shipped from there to North Africa and the Mediterranean, as the route's function shifted from mere production-area export to a dual role as hub and entrepôt.
3. c. 1300–1500Red Sea–Indian Ocean junction (Hodeidah–Aden) · Red SeaAs Indian Ocean monsoon-based trade expanded, Yemeni ports increasingly took on entrepôt functions linking East Africa, India, and the Mediterranean, and the frankincense route became deeply integrated with the broader maritime network of spices and luxury goods.