Silk Roads
These roadside inns provided shelter and supplies for merchants traveling the Silk Roads.
What are caravanserai?
This Mongol leader united the Mongol tribes and began the expansion that created the largest land empire in history.
Who is Genghis Khan (Temüjin)?
This navigational instrument, originally developed by Muslims, helped sailors determine direction at sea.
What is the compass?
This innovation in transportation technology made crossing the Sahara Desert more feasible.
What is the camel saddle?
This religion spread from the Middle East into sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia through trade networks.
What is Islam?
This form of credit allowed merchants to deposit money in one location and withdraw it in another.
What are bills of exchange?
The Mongol Empire facilitated trade and communication across Eurasia, connecting these two major regions.
What are Europe and Asia (East and West)?
This seasonal wind pattern was crucial for navigation and trade in the Indian Ocean.
What are monsoon winds?
This West African empire expanded and facilitated trade across the Sahara Desert.
What is the Mali Empire?
This famous traveler from Morocco journeyed throughout the Islamic world and wrote detailed accounts of his travels.
Who is Ibn Battuta?
This Central Asian city was a major trading center along the Silk Roads.
What is Samarkand (or Kashgar)?
This Mongol policy of religious tolerance allowed conquered peoples to maintain their beliefs.
What is religious tolerance/pluralism?
These East African city-states, such as Kilwa and Mogadishu, became wealthy through Indian Ocean trade.
What are Swahili city-states?
These trade routes connected North Africa with sub-Saharan Africa across the world's largest desert
What are trans-Saharan trade routes?
This deadly disease spread along trade routes, causing massive population decline in Europe and Asia.
What is the bubonic plague (Black Death)?
Chinese production of these luxury goods expanded significantly to meet demand along trade routes.
What are silk textiles and porcelain?
This Chinese admiral led seven major maritime expeditions during the Ming Dynasty, demonstrating Chinese naval power.
Who is Zheng He?
This sultanate controlled the strategic Strait of Malacca and became wealthy from trade.
What is the Sultanate of Malacca?
This precious metal was a major export from West Africa via trans-Saharan trade.
What is gold?
This explosive technology spread from China westward along trade routes.
What is gunpowder?
This innovation in monetary systems facilitated long-distance trade, especially in China.
What is paper money?
The Mongols facilitated the transfer of this numbering system from India to Europe.
What is the Hindu-Arabic numeral system?
These merchant communities established trading posts throughout the Indian Ocean, introducing their cultural traditions.
What are Arab, Persian, Chinese, and Indian diasporic communities?
This essential mineral, used for food preservation, was a major import to West Africa.
What is salt?
These new food crops spread through trade networks and increased agricultural productivity.
What are bananas and new rice varieties?