The Silk Road
This luxurious Chinese fabric gave a major Eurasian trade route its name.
Silk
These seasonal winds were key to helping merchants travel across the Indian Ocean.
monsoon winds
This animal was key to the success of trans-Saharan trade across the desert.
camel
This major religion spread widely through trade networks in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe
Islam
Traders crossing deserts on the Silk Roads relied heavily on this animal for transportation.
Camel
This Swahili city-state on the East African coast flourished due to Indian Ocean trade.
Kilwa
Along with salt, this valuable metal was one of West Africa’s top exports
Gold
These communities of merchants living far from their homelands helped spread ideas, goods, and culture.
diasporic communities
This leader’s unification of the Mongol tribes helped stabilize and protect Silk Road trade routes.
Genghis Khan
This language spread widely across Indian Ocean port cities due to Muslim merchant activity.
Arabic
This empire rose to power through wealth gained from controlling trans-Saharan trade routes.
Mali Empire
This deadly disease spread along trade routes and devastated populations in Eurasia.
Black Death
These roadside inns supported long-distance trade by providing lodging and rest for merchants and animals.
caravanserais
This 14th-century Muslim traveler wrote detailed accounts of Indian Ocean port cities.
Ibn Battuta
This emperor’s extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca displayed the riches of Mali to the Islamic world.
Mansa Musa
This Chinese invention improved navigation and spread westward through trade.
magnetic compass
This city along the Silk Roads became a wealthy center for trade and Islamic culture in Central Asia.
Samarkand
This durable tropical hardwood was highly prized in Indian Ocean trade for shipbuilding.
teak wood
This city in Mali became a renowned center of Islamic scholarship and trade
Timbuktu
This staple crop spread from Southeast Asia to other regions and became important in new diets.
Rice