Describe how the Arabs created a trade empire. Then, identify the items traded in the empire and where they came from.

Arab Empire was one of the largest empires in history, from 632 to 1258. The major Arab trading center was Baghdad. This site was chosen because it was on the intersection of great trade routes.

The items that were traded in the Arab Empire:

- from China: silk, peacocks, porcelain, spices,

- from India: rubies, ebony, silver,

- from Persian Gulf and Africa: perfumes, gold, pearls, slaves.

The main, and most profitable, commodity was slaves. They came from everywhere the Arabs had conquered.

The Arab slave trade was such that, by the early 9th century, armies of the Arab Empire and some other Muslim states was composed largely of slave soldiers called ghulams, which came from all over the empire. and thats before you start looking at how many slaves were needed for unskilled labour, construction projects, and household roles.

Ammianus