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Red Sea Spice Route

Type Object Region Indian Ocean Time 100–1700

Maritime trade corridor linking Indian Ocean spice-producing regions with Mediterranean markets, transshipped via Red Sea ports on the Arabian Penins…

Timeline

  1. c. 1500–1600Mocha · YemenGoods from Malabar, Java, and the Spice Islands were gathered at Arabian Peninsula and East African ports, then transshipped north through the Red Sea to Egypt, forming seasonal sailing fleets.
  2. 1611–1620Jeddah · HejazThe Ottoman Empire taxed Red Sea ports and maintained order; Arab and Indian merchants continued shipping spices toward the Mediterranean via Jeddah and Suez, while European powers still partly relied on this traditional corridor.
  3. c. 1600–1700Bab-el-Mandeb · Bab-el-MandebThe Portuguese and Dutch East India Companies opened the Cape of Good Hope route, diverting some spice trade, but the Red Sea corridor retained an important share in the 1610s due to its shorter voyage and familiarity.

Sources