The Role of Muslims in Maritime Trade in the Red Sea During the Fourth Hijri Century (AH)

الملخص

This research studies the role of Muslims in maritime commercial activity during the extended period of the third Abbasid era (approximately the fourth Hijri century- AH). The Red Sea trade flourished during this time, with Arab Muslims acting as intermediaries, transporting goods from India, China, and other South Asian regions through the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ports. In return, they transported goods from Byzantine lands from Mediterranean ports to Yemeni ports and then to India and China, while also promoting their own goods and products.

This research aims to shed light on the commercial activity of Arab Muslim traders, particularly those from Yemen, Hijaz, Syria, and Egypt, and their mastery of maritime navigation. Their extensive use of seafaring allowed them to facilitate trade exchanges, which reached their peak during the second and third Abbasid eras. The Red Sea served as a natural passage that significantly shortened the distances travelled by ships and was also safe. This advantage was bolstered by the Arabs' expertise in navigation, their understanding of wind systems, their knowledge of oceanography, their mapping of maritime routes, and their awareness of climatic conditions in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea.

These factors encouraged the development of navigation technologies and shipbuilding, which in turn enabled the Arabs to dominate the seas, activate global trade, exchange goods, and explore other cultures. Cities such as Aden in Yemen played a global commercial role during the Middle Ages. Aden served as a primary gateway to the Indian Ocean, facilitating access to the nations of South and East Asia. Traders from Aden imported goods such as incense, spices, perfumes, and more from these regions and transported them via the Red Sea to Mediterranean ports, from where they reached Europe. This highlights the pivotal role of Arab Muslim merchants in general, and Yemeni merchants in particular in the thriving maritime trade of the medieval period