Early History/ Contents

Early Muslim traders

Barbara Watson Andaya

The expansion of early international commerce, which attracted Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian trade to the Malay World, coincided with the growth of Muslim empires in the Middle East and greater use of land and sea routes linking the Arab heartlands with India and China. The extension of Muslim trading networks into the Malay Archipelago helped lay the basis for the spread of Islam.

  • Information in the full article includes
  • The expansion of Muslim trade
  • Ports known to Muslim traders
  • Declining Arab trade
  • The rise of Indian Muslim traders
Chinese porcelain

Chinese porcelain with Islamic design became popular trade items throughout Southeast Asian Muslim communities during the Ming Dynasty (1369-1644).