Indian Ocean Trade Interactive Map Activity

The Explorer Ibn Battuta on the Malabar Coast

Ibn Battuta described the cities, roads and harbors of the Malabar Coast, which was like a hinge for the two halves of the Indian Ocean trade routes--the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. This coast was a place where many cultures, religions, languages and goods lived side-by-side, all benefitting from trade and the wealth it brings, despite their differences… Read his journal below.

"Three days later we reached the land of Malabar, which is the pepper country. It extends for 2 months' journey along the coast from Sandabur to Kawlam. The road over the whole distance runs beneath the shade of trees, and every half-mile there are benches...and a well for drinking...On this road there is not a foot of ground but it is cultivated...I have never seen a safer road than this...Muslims are most highly honored among them, except that those of other faiths do not eat with them or allow them into their houses...In the Malabar lands there are twelve infidel sultans, some of them with strong armies and some with weak. Yet there is no discord whatever between them...Two days' journey brought us to Fakandur, a large town on an inlet. Here there is a large quantity of sugar-canes...unexcelled in the rest of the country...Three days after leaving we reached Manjarur ...this is the town at which most of the merchants from Fars and Yemen disembark, and pepper and ginger are abundant there...one of the principal rulers in that land...is Rama Daw. There is a colony of about four thousand Muslims there, living in a suburb alongside the town. Conflicts break out between them and the townspeople, but the sultan makes peace between them on account of his need of the merchants. ...We set sail for the town of Hili...it is large and well-built, situated on a big inlet which is navigable for large vessels. This is the farthest town reached by ships from China...The town of Hili is venerated by both Muslims and infidels on account of its cathedral mosque, and seafarers make many votive offerings to it....Thence we travelled to the city of Calicut, which is one of the chief ports of Malabar and one of the largest harbors in the world. It is visited by men from China, Sumatra, Ceylon, the Maldives, Yemen and Fars, and in it gather merchants from all quarters....When we reached the city, the inhabitants and merchants and the sultan's representative came out to welcome us with drums, trumpets, bugles and banners on their ships. We entered the harbor in great display, the like of which I have never seen in those lands."

The city of Calicut was once a world famous port for trade of Indian and other goods. It was visited by Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, and many other travelers.

Like other important port cities, however, it enjoyed status and independence for its ability to attract wealth. If merchants did not find favorable trade conditions, they simply sailed to another port.

The islands of the Maldives contained unique resources which they traded for necessities like rice and the metals to produce brass goods and textiles. Two products are especially important: rope made from coconut fiber for use in the Indian Ocean shipping industry, and cowrie shells used for currency (money). Cowries from the Maldives are known to have been used as currency from the earliest periods of Indian Ocean trade through the 19th century.

The following was written by the explorer/trader Marco Polo

"Leaving the island of Andaman and sailing for 1,000 miles a little south of west, the traveler reaches Ceylon, which is undoubtedly the finest island of its size in all the world...It is ruled by a king called Sendernam. The people have the most precious thing to be found in the world; for in this island, and nowhere else in the world, are produced superb and authentic rubies. The island also produces sapphires, topazes, garnets and many other precious stones...and the king of this province possesses the finest ruby that was ever seen or is ever likely to be seen. Let me describe it to you. It is about a palm in length and of the thickness of a man's arms. It is the most brilliant object to behold in all the world, free from any flaw and glowing red like fire. It is so precious that it could scarcely be bought for money...the king declared that he would not part with it for anything in the world, because it was an heirloom from his ancestors."

Fa Hsien, whose name means 'illustrious master of the law', was a Chinese Buddhist traveler of the fifth century CE. He left in search of knowledge, especially to visit shrines and collect Buddhist writings to bring back to China. Leaving at the age of 65 in 399 CE, he returned home in 413 and recorded his travels the following year. His journey began on the overland silk road across deserts and mountains until he reached India. He traveled inside India and returned on a very dangerous sea voyage . He brought back important Buddhist writings and images, and spent the rest of his life translating them from Sanskrit language into Chinese.

The following is an excerpt written by the traveler Fa Hsien.

On board there were more than 200 men, and to which was attached by a rope a smaller vessel, as a provision against damage or injury to the large one from the perils of the navigation. With a favourable wind, they proceeded eastwards for three days, and then they encountered a great wind.The vessel sprang a leak and the water came in. The merchants wished to go to the small vessel; but the men on board it, fearing that too many would come, cut the connecting rope. The merchants were greatly alarmed, feeling their risk of instant death. Afraid that the vessel would fill, they took their bulky goods and threw them into the water. On the sea there are many pirates, to meet with whom is speedy death. The great ocean spreads out, a boundless expanse. There is no knowing east or west; only by observing the sun, moon, and stars was it possible to go forward. If the weather were dark and rainy, the ship went as she was carried by the wind, without any definite course. In the darkness of the night, only the great waves were to be seen, breaking on one another, and emitting a brightness like that of fire, with huge turtles and other monsters of the deep. The merchants were full of terror, not knowing where they were going. The sea was deep and bottomless, and there was no place where they could drop anchor and stop. But when the sky became clear, they could tell east and west, and the ship again went forward in the right direction.