How long was the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes?

The Maritime Spice & Incense Routes ran for about 15,000 km.

When was the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes in use?

The Maritime Spice & Incense Routes was active during 2000 BCE – 1700 CE.

What was traded on the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes?

The main goods were Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Frankincense, Myrrh, Teakwood, Ivory.

Which places were on the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes?

Its main stations were Malacca, Calicut (Kozhikode), Muziris, Goa, Ormuz, Aden, Berenike, Alexandria, Venice.

How many caravanserais were on the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes?

YearMaps maps 12 caravanserais within 40 km of the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes. This counts only places recorded in Wikidata and the OWTRAD project, so the historical total was higher.

Maritime Spice & Incense Routes Map — Route & Stops, 15,000 km

Commercial Genesis & Spatial Network

Long before European caravels rounded the Cape of Good Hope, Arab, Indian, Persian, and Austronesian mariners navigated the Indian Ocean using lateen-rigged dhows and the predictable seasonal monsoon winds (Hippalus winds). Ships sailed eastward in summer on the southwest monsoon and returned westward in winter on the northeast monsoon. Cloves and nutmeg from the remote Maluku (Spice) Islands commanded prices exceeding gold by weight in imperial Rome and Renaissance Europe.

Caravanserais and Halting Places on This Route

12 caravanserais recorded within 40 km of the mapped line. A caravanserai is a roadside inn; a halting place is a named camping ground with no permanent building. How caravans travelled and how a caravanserai worked.

Wikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay

Caravanserai · Egypt · 30.0452° N, 31.2624° E

The Wikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay is a complex of monuments built by the Mamluk sultan Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr Qaitbay in 1477 CE (882 AH) in Islamic Cairo, the historic medieval district of Cairo, Egypt. The complex consists of an urban caravanserai (wikala, also spelled wakala), a water dispensary (sabil), a water trough (hod), and a school (kuttab). It is located just south of Al-Azhar Mosque.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Wikala of al-Ghuri

Caravanserai · Egypt · 30.0457° N, 31.2609° E

The Wikala of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri (or Wikalat al-Ghuri, among other variations) is a caravanserai in medieval Cairo, Egypt. It was built in 1504–1505 and is considered today one of the most impressive and best-preserved examples of this type of building in Cairo.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Wikala of Bazar'a

Caravanserai · Egypt · 30.0506° N, 31.2628° E

The Wikala of Bazar'a (Egyptian Arabic: وكالة بازرعة) or Wikala of Al-Kikhiya (وكالة الكيخيا) is located on El-Tambakshia Street in El-Gamaleya area, in the Al-Azhar neighborhood in Cairo. It is one of the most famous archaeological wikalat built in Egypt during the period of Ottoman rule in the 11th century AH (17th century AD). The wikala was previously known as Wikala of Al-Kikhiya, after Hassan Katkhuda, nicknamed “Al-Kikhiya,” and it was intended to sell timber. It remained known by this name until the late 19th century, when it was bought by Muhammad Bazar'a, a merchant of Hadrami origin. Then he called it “Wikala of Bazar'a” and devoted it to selling Nabulsi soap and Yemeni coffee.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Wikala of Qawsun

Caravanserai · Egypt · 30.0531° N, 31.2640° E

The Wikala of Qawsun (Egyptian Arabic: وكالة قوصون) or Khan of the prince (Egyptian Arabic: خان الأمير, romanized: Khan al-Amir). It was established by the Bahri Mamluk Emir (prince) Qawsun as-Saqi al-Nasiri, in the year 742 AH/1341 AD. It is located on Bab al-Nasr Street behind the Al-Hakim Mosque in the central Cairo neighborhood. This wikala has disappeared and nothing remains of its archaeological building except its main entrance, which preserves the founding text that includes the name of Prince Qawsun and his rank (رنك) which is the symbol of as-Saqi (cupbearer), and its symbol is the cup.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

All Recorded Stopping Places

Name	Type	Country	Coordinates
Wikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0452° N, 31.2624° E
Wikala of al-Ghuri	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0457° N, 31.2609° E
Wikala of Bazar'a	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0506° N, 31.2628° E
Wikala of Qawsun	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0531° N, 31.2640° E
Khan al-Zarakisha	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0461° N, 31.2616° E
Wikala and sabil al-Haramayn	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0486° N, 31.2623° E
Wikala and Sabil of Abbas Agha	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0511° N, 31.2627° E
Wikala and sabil-kuttab of Jamal al-Din al-Dhahabi	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0484° N, 31.2601° E
Wikala of Badawiyya Shahin	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0483° N, 31.2610° E
Wikala of Nafisa al-Bayda	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0433° N, 31.2581° E
Wikala of Taghri Bardi	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0486° N, 31.2602° E
Wikalat al-Ghuri	Caravanserai	Egypt	30.0479° N, 31.2622° E

Sources: Wikidata (caravanserais, CC0) and the OWTRAD project (halting places). All caravanserais and halting places

Logistics, Caravanserais & Overland Hazards

▲Strict adherence to seasonal monsoon wind shifts; missing a wind window stranded ships for 6 months

▲Piracy choke points in the Strait of Malacca, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Strait of Hormuz

▲Perishable spice spoilage from tropical moisture and wooden hull rot

▲Monopoly secrecy guarded by Arab and Venetians concerning the precise geographic origins of spices

Maritime Spice & Incense Routes

Places Along the Maritime Spice & Incense Routes

Commercial Genesis & Spatial Network

Economic Impact & Cultural Diffusion

Caravanserais and Halting Places on This Route

Wikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay

Wikala of al-Ghuri

Wikala of Bazar'a

Wikala of Qawsun

All Recorded Stopping Places

Logistics, Caravanserais & Overland Hazards

Custodial Empires & Polities

More Routes in This Region

Nearby Routes in Other Regions