Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c6.s2.t2.30

c6.s2.t2.30

*B. Foreign Trade.*—India had always even in the ancient past substantial commercial relations with the outside world. In the period under review the rise of Islam and the Moorish supremacy over the seas had cut off India from direct commercial relations with Europe. This, however, did not affect the volume of Indian commerce or the distribution of Indian goods in western countries. Indian goods were carried by the Arab to the Red Sea and from there found their way to Damascus and Alexandria whence they were distributed all over the Mediterranean countries and beyond. These Indian goods reached the East African coast, the Malay Islands and China in the Far East, and other countries on the Pacific Ocean through the agencies of the Moorish merchants. India was similarly connected on the mainland with Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Persia through the Multan-Quetta route, the Khyber Pass, and the Kashmir routes. Caravans of merchants, familiar with these beaten tracks since ancient days, were frequently passing between India, Bukhara, Iraq, and even as far as Damascus.