← Explore on the interactive map

Indian Ocean Trade Network

Type Object Region Indian Ocean Time c. 750–1100

In the 9th century, the Indian Ocean monsoon trade network linked the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the E…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–850Basra · Persian GulfPersian Gulf ports such as Basra and Siraf became hubs for Arab merchants; merchant ships sailed south on the monsoon to India's west coast, then east to Southeast Asia or west to East Africa, forming an institutionalized seasonal sailing cycle.
  2. c. 820–880Malabar Coast · IndiaThe Malabar and Cochin area was a distribution center for pepper and spices, where Arab and Indian merchants exchanged goods; 9th-century texts and archaeological remains show dense commercial traffic on the western Indian Ocean routes.
  3. c. 850–900Zanzibar · Swahili CoastIn the 9th century Arab merchants reached the East African coast, trading ivory, gold, and slaves for cotton cloth and metalware; ports such as Zanzibar gradually developed into western nodes of the Indian Ocean network, linking African interior resources with Asian markets.

Sources