2.3: Exchange in the Indian Ocean Flashcards
(3 cards)
“[Between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries] . . . Muslim maritime traders from Egypt sought goods coming from China and Southeast Asia [and] purchased these items on India’s southwestern coast. . . . Sea voyages between Egypt and India were still dangerous and still involved long voyages, as well as long stays in harbors where they waited, sometimes for several months, for the winds to shift direction. . . .
To protect themselves, Muslim merchants organized karim, convoyed merchant fleets. The rulers of Egypt began providing an armed escort for the fleets and succeeded in making the trade between the Red Sea and India a government-protected, regularly accomplished endeavor.
The karim merchants were organized in large family firms with substantial assets and clients in markets all over the trading networks. In the Indian Ocean trade, Muslim traders not only dealt with other Muslims, but also Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews. Traders of various religious backgrounds boarded the same ships or stayed in the same caravanserai. In Egypt, many Jewish traders actually operated their businesses within the framework of Muslim business networks.”
Xinru Liu and Lynda Norene Shaffer, historians, Connections across Eurasia, published in 2007
The “long stays in harbors” mentioned in the description of the sea journeys in the first paragraph were most likely necessary because Indian Ocean maritime trade in the period circa 1200–1450
A
increased significantly in volume, creating bottlenecks in key ports
B
required the approval of Muslim religious authorities to make sure it was carried out in accordance with Islamic principles
C
had to take into account environmental factors such as the timing and direction of the monsoons
D
could only be carried out if ships stayed close to shore through the entire journey from Egypt to India
C
had to take into account environmental factors such as the timing and direction of the monsoons
“[Between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries] . . . Muslim maritime traders from Egypt sought goods coming from China and Southeast Asia [and] purchased these items on India’s southwestern coast. . . . Sea voyages between Egypt and India were still dangerous and still involved long voyages, as well as long stays in harbors where they waited, sometimes for several months, for the winds to shift direction. . . .
To protect themselves, Muslim merchants organized karim, convoyed merchant fleets. The rulers of Egypt began providing an armed escort for the fleets and succeeded in making the trade between the Red Sea and India a government-protected, regularly accomplished endeavor.
The karim merchants were organized in large family firms with substantial assets and clients in markets all over the trading networks. In the Indian Ocean trade, Muslim traders not only dealt with other Muslims, but also Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews. Traders of various religious backgrounds boarded the same ships or stayed in the same caravanserai. In Egypt, many Jewish traders actually operated their businesses within the framework of Muslim business networks.”
Xinru Liu and Lynda Norene Shaffer, historians, Connections across Eurasia, published in 2007
Based on the pattern of trade described in the third paragraph, the Egyptian karim merchants were most likely directly involved in which of the following broader developments in the Indian Ocean in the period circa 1200–1450 ?
A
The establishment of diasporic merchant communities
B
The transfer of European scientific knowledge to South Asia
C
The creation of new monotheistic religions
D
The introduction of new financial innovations such as paper money
A
The establishment of diasporic merchant communities
“[Between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries] . . . Muslim maritime traders from Egypt sought goods coming from China and Southeast Asia [and] purchased these items on India’s southwestern coast. . . . Sea voyages between Egypt and India were still dangerous and still involved long voyages, as well as long stays in harbors where they waited, sometimes for several months, for the winds to shift direction. . . .
To protect themselves, Muslim merchants organized karim, convoyed merchant fleets. The rulers of Egypt began providing an armed escort for the fleets and succeeded in making the trade between the Red Sea and India a government-protected, regularly accomplished endeavor.
The karim merchants were organized in large family firms with substantial assets and clients in markets all over the trading networks. In the Indian Ocean trade, Muslim traders not only dealt with other Muslims, but also Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews. Traders of various religious backgrounds boarded the same ships or stayed in the same caravanserai. In Egypt, many Jewish traders actually operated their businesses within the framework of Muslim business networks.”
Xinru Liu and Lynda Norene Shaffer, historians, Connections across Eurasia, published in 2007
The pattern of trade described in the passage was most characteristic of which of the following types of goods in the period 1200–1450 ?
A
Daily food staples such as bread or milk
B
Bulk commodities such as grain or coal
C
Luxury goods such as spices or porcelain
D
Livestock such as pigs or cattle
C
Luxury goods such as spices or porcelain
