The Silk Road
Indian Ocean Trade Routes
The Persians and Arabs dominated the the Indian Ocean Trade. Their trade routes connected ports in western India to ports in the Persian Gulf, which in turn were connected to ports in Africa. Unlike boats that were used in the Mediterranean Sea, ships that sailed the Indian Ocean were, necessarily, more resilient to the large waves common in those waters. The traders learned to understand the monsoon seasons and directions of the winds, and scheduled their voyages accordingly. Despite these difficulties, the Indian Ocean trade routes were relatively safe, especially when compared to those on the Mediterranean, where constant warfare was common.
The Persians and Arabs dominated the the Indian Ocean Trade. Their trade routes connected ports in western India to ports in the Persian Gulf, which in turn were connected to ports in Africa. Unlike boats that were used in the Mediterranean Sea, ships that sailed the Indian Ocean were, necessarily, more resilient to the large waves common in those waters. The traders learned to understand the monsoon seasons and directions of the winds, and scheduled their voyages accordingly. Despite these difficulties, the Indian Ocean trade routes were relatively safe, especially when compared to those on the Mediterranean, where constant warfare was common.
Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
The trans-Saharan routes established trade relationships between the people who lived in western Africa, south of the vast Sahara desert, the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. By about 100 A.D., the camel, often called the "ship of the desert," had been introduced to the Berbers of the Sahara from western Asia via Egypt. The domestication of camels, the development of the camel saddle, and their use as pack animals in desert caravans were major causes of increased trade by land in Africa -- in many ways parallel to the new developments in maritime technology that were also occurring during the this time. A single camel could carry a load of up to 550 pounds while crossing the Sahara and go for more than a week without water. Caravans of camels enabled goods to be transported across the desert more quickly, leading to an inevitable increase in trade. The northbound caravans' most important destination was Cairo, a major trading center that connected many civilizations during the classical period. In Cairo, the merchants that had transported the goods to other regions. The main goods that were transported out of Africa were salt from the Sahara and gold and palm oil from western Africa. Wheat, olives, and manufactured goods from Europe were imported into the western Africa along the Saharan trade route.