Trans-Saharan Routes
The Camel Saddle
As trade expanded into the Saharan Desert, people needed to find new ways to transport goods as cattle moved slowly and only lasted a few days without food or water. As such, traders began using camels to transport goods because they could move four times faster than cattle while also being able to live without water for several days to months longer than cattle, but transporting products by camelback was difficult as the hump of their backs made it difficult to ride and carry goods across long distance. Because of this, the camel saddle was developed. The camel saddle flattened the hump of the camel with padding and provided extra support so that goods could be stored on their backs or traders could ride on them more comfortably.
Caravans
A group of traders travelling along trade routes with camels. They assisted in increasing the scale of economic trade along the Tran-Saharan Trade Routes.
Indian Ocean Routes
Sultanate of Malacca
Diasporic Communities
Gujarat
City States on the Swahili Coast
Arabs in East Africa
Chinese in Southeast Asia
Mediterranean Basin
Silk Road
Bank Houses
Bills of Exchange
Kashgar and Samarkand
Paper Money
Kashgar was a very prosperous city during the 10th and 11th century because they expanded into Central Asia and the Mongols liked them so they were left unharmed
India
Paper money came about making metals much more valuable
Paper currency was always backed by some sort of material like silver or gold
The invention of paper currency diminished the value of coins all throughout central Asia
Paper money was invented by the Song Dynasty because they could not produce enough bronze to sustain their currency and they could not devalue it since they had already started using aluminum
What Was Traded?
Ivory
Samarkand is in north-eastern Uzbekistan and was at a important area on the silk road with plenty of resources.
Gold
Rich merchants would keep their money safely in banks
Ceramics
Spices and Textiles
Perfumes and Iron Goods
Silk eventually became a form of currency
Caravanserai
As travel and trade between regions increased, caravans began staying places for a fee such as silk or gold. Eventually, this practice led to the development of caravanserai, essentially inns dedicated to housing caravans travelling to and from different regions.