Glossary · Term

Indian Ocean trade

Indian Ocean trade refers to the maritime exchange of goods such as spices, textiles, gold, ivory and ceramics across the Indian Ocean, driven by seasonal monsoon winds. It connected East Africa, Arabia, the Persian Gulf, India and South-East Asia. It enriched states such as the Aksumite Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate and the Adal Sultanate, while the Mamluk Sultanate suffered when Portuguese intervention disrupted its share.

Mentioned in 10 profiles

Abbasid CaliphateSocioeconomyAdal SultanateFoundationAksumite EmpireSocioeconomyMamluk SultanateDeclineMutapa EmpireImpactPortuguese EmpireFoundationSatavahana dynastySummaryLater Pandyan EmpireSocioeconomyMombasaFoundationSwahiliSummary

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Kingdom of RuhunaSasanian YemenBrahman dynasty of SindhGujarat Sultanate

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Indian Ocean trade. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indian-ocean-trade
MLA
“Indian Ocean trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indian-ocean-trade. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Indian Ocean trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indian-ocean-trade.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Indian Ocean trade’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indian-ocean-trade (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻