• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.345-354
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• 2002

The Sea road which is connected from the Gulf of Persia to Canton was completed by Arabs in the end of the eighth century. For the first time in history, the amount of goods by the sea route exceeds land route. In contrast with the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean was a sea of peace. Its western shores were under Muslim control, thus we find in this age a great expansion of commerce on the Indian Ocean. We trace the sea route to China in use in the middle of the ninth century. Also we find out that the outstanding feature of the medieval Arab ship of Indian Ocean are two: the manner in which planks of the hull sewn together, not nailed; and the fore-and-aft set of the sails.