Mamluk Red Sea Trade Controls (1486)

Timeline

1. 1486Cairo · EgyptSince the time of Barsbay, the Mamluk state had progressively brought trade in spices, cane sugar, and other goods under direct sultanic control. After Qaitbay's accession he expanded the authority of the sultan's treasury (al-dhakhīrah), bringing spice trade revenues, certain taxes, and other commercial income under its jurisdiction, forming a systematic trade-fiscal system.
2. 1486Red Sea ports (Jeddah, al-Tūr) · Red Sea coastThe Mamluks stationed inspectors (mutasabbib) at key Red Sea ports such as Jeddah and al-Tūr on the Sinai Peninsula, responsible for collecting tariffs, supervising merchant shipping, and monitoring pilgrim traffic. Around 1486 this system functioned normally, keeping the spice transshipment route from India via Aden–Red Sea–Egypt supplying the sultanate.
3. 1486Aden–Red Sea trade route · Indian OceanIn 1486 Ottomans and Mamluks fought fiercely on the Cilician frontier; Qaitbay relied on Red Sea spice trade revenues and income from managing the Hejaz pilgrimage to cover military expenses. Portugal had not yet broken into the Indian Ocean routes, and Mamluk control of the eastern spice corridor remained relatively secure, though maritime change was already brewing on the horizon.