Indian Ocean Trade Network

In the Arabian peninsula, Islam had started. After Muhammad died, the Muslim community embarked on a series of military conquests that extended their control over much of Eurasia and north Africa. Muslim merchants also became a prominent figure in trade during this time. The Islamic empire extended to the Arabian Peninsula and many areas around it. These places were central in the Mediterranean sea, Indian Ocean, and silk road trade routes. The Muslim merchants became a very big part of trade because of their location at the center of many trade routes from Eurasia to Africa. They were also a prominent part of trade because the camel saddle started to be used frequently in 600 CE. Camels were more equipped to walk through the desert, and so the ability to control them made the Muslims a major part of silk road trade. In addition to this, the Muslim agricultural revolution occurred around 600 CE. This caused more crops like cotton to be cultivated and traded, causing a greater income and virtually more trade between Africa and Eurasia. In the Indian Ocean basin, the Gupta empire had declined and there was no centralized rule in India. However, there were still major trading cities and new technologies caused trade to increase. An example of the new technologies would be the dhows and junks that were used at around 800 CE.

In the period between 650 C.E. and 1750 C.E., the Indian Ocean region endured both change and continuity. One continuity is simply trade, for this 1,100 years the Indian ocean was an important trading zone. One change in Indian ocean trade over those years was which country dominated trade their. Over those years the Indian ocean was controlled by the Indians, the Arabs, the Chinese, and last but not least the Europeans. Their was continuity and change in trade in the Indian ocean over the aforementioned years.

It analyzes the interaction between the Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. This chapter examines the trade situation before and after the European invaded. Around 1500, was the first time the trade began and it was one of the greatest generators of the economy. Therefore, it was really important for places like Asia, Africa, and Arabs to get access to the Indian Ocean.

During the time period 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E., trade networks were relied upon to transfer goods, ideas, and services. Both the Trans-Saharan and Silk Road trade routes depended on animals, luxury goods, and economic growth. However, the trade routes differed in animals, types of luxury goods, and success of economic growth.

From their origins to 1500, the attitudes of both Christian and Muslims toward trade shifted as conditions in the Christian and Islamic worlds changed. In the beginning, Christian attitudes were more negative, while Muslims tended to encourage and respect trade and merchants. Over time, Muslims became more like early Christians in that they were suspicious of traders whereas the Christians became more like the early Muslims, equating merchants (at least honest ones) with doing God’s work, reflecting the changed importance of trade in the high Middle Ages in Europe.

Even though these aspects describe the ways that change occurred with trade between Afro-Eurasia, one important part did stay the same. North Africa was consistent and always a key part of trade between the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 300, North Africa was the only area that traded with the Mediterranean. In the time of the gold-salt trade, European venders and Islamic merchants arrived in North Africa. North African merchants still traded even when Europeans started to shift the balance of trade to the Americas starting from the mid-1400s. This is how trade systems between Africa and Europe stayed the same between the years 300-1450.

The Indian Ocean Trade Network, as well as the silk road had aided in cultural diffusion, and the transmission of ideas, however these routes were different in the way in which they were traversed and what ideas were specifically transmitted. The Indian Ocean Trade route

When studying trade and commodities of Empires in any period of time, it is important to look at the changes that the trade created within the involved nations. What crops were popular enough to grow commercially in the empire, what the increase of trade did to the population demographics, and how the global system influenced the interactions of the countries involved can be found through close reading primary sources. Through sources like Trade and Travel in the Far East by G.F. Davidson and Tearful Conversation over the Mulberry Fields and the Sea by Nguyen Thuong Hien, scholars can determine the impact these factors had on the lives of those who experienced empirical trade. In comparing these two documents, the most prominent focus is on

1. Long-distance commerce acted as a motor of change in pre-modern world history by altering consumption and daily life. Essential food and useful tools such as salt were traded from the Sahara desert all the way to West Africa and salt was used as a food preserver. Some incenses essential to religious ceremonies were traded across the world because there was a huge demand for them. Trade diminished economic self-sufficiency by creating a reliance on traded goods and encouraged people to specialize and trade a particular skill. Trade motivated the creation of a state due to the wealth accumulated from controlling and taxing trade. Trade posed the problem of if the government or private

Trading during the Post-classical era from 1000-1450 C.E. were what the many civilizations at that time heavily relied on, it had flourished and arouse to the point where many alliances were created. Many big cities were most notably successful in their trading and alliances. Smaller cities were also able to succeed by having alliance with one another; German Hansa in North Europe and the Swahili cities along the coast of East Africa were among the most successful cities in their trade organizations. Hansa and Swahili shared many similarities; they both craved for money and desired to emphasize their trading sites to extend. Their differences were as important, they were different in their economical, cultural

From 600 to 1450 CE, trade thrived through the Indian Ocean trade routes. Large and powerful states provided security for merchants and travelers, allowing them to follow these routes with ease. While the spread of goods and ideas along the Indian Ocean trade routes remained constant, the states controlling them changed, leading to the creation of new states and the addition of European participation in this network.

Before 1448, European had to use the Silk Road to trade with Asia. In 1453, Muslim took over Constantinople; the only way to Asia had been cut. European nations started to use the Maritime way, and they took over many places in Asia as their access to an easier trade system. Among these European nations, like what they did to America, their goals and the way they achieved their initiatives in Asia are different from one another. Portuguese was the first group that explored the way to Asia without going through Muslims.

Trade was different across regions of the world because of the goods being traded, the currency used and the religions and cultures people believe in.

According to the map, Great Ages of Man: Early Islam, it shows how trade impacted the religion of Islam’s way of life and how it helped spread their culture, [Document A]. The map shows land and sea trade route, in 570, that were used to trade across the Byzantine and Persian empires. Another example is that, according to Desmond Stewart, “Vast camel trains, bearing spices, perfumes… ivory, silk, filled though the town headed north on the way from Yemen… to the markets of Syria and headed east from the Red sea across the desert to Iraq,” [Document A]. Trading was an easy and resourceful way to preach and inform people about Islam. Since, they traded with a wide variety of places they were able to spread the words of Allah to many time of people.

Clothing, Arabians spread religion to Indians, Arabs spread technology to Europe, Europeans wanted to trade with India