Free
Trade
For
at least one thousand years, Islam, set astride
the world's great trade route known to historians
as the "Golden Web."
This
Golden Web route spread out through the Middle East,
and was one of the most lucrative.
This
route allowed gigantic trains of over sixty thousand
people and as many animals to arrive on a regular
basis from the great cities of China and central
Asia to Eastern Europe.
The
route covers several major cities such as Samarkand
and Bukhara and the Abbasid Capital of Baghdad.
The Capital population then was about two million.

Caravan
From
Baghdad, the same goods would then be shipped on
to other destinations like Constantinople in Eastern
Europe and south to Busra and Yemen. Yemen was a
great source for spice and perfume. From Busra we
find the sea route to India and from there to the
Indies.
Finally,
there was the trade to Europe. The influence of
the Muslims was felt on the Southern fringes of
Europe along the Mediterranean Sea.
In
Southern France, for example, in the town of Langouste
Begeeni there were Muslim settlements known to historians
as Frahcenatum, not far from present day Nice. Also
on the Italian cost there were a number of small
Muslim settlements along the cost. Anaglyph was
best known among these cities because of the trading
developed under the Muslim rule of Sicily.