# data[].attributes.body
Timbuktu was a major Islamic centre and it continued to grow as trans Saharan trade went on. Timbuktu is home to 3 of the oldest mosques in Western Africa one of which was built by mansa musa. Goods that came from the meditrennean and goods that came from the Sahara were then traded in Timbuktu for gold and other resources.  This made Timbuktu very prosperous and attracted traders and travelers from North Africa and other places.

# data[].attributes.body
There wasn’t a big culture in Teghaza due to a small amount of people living there, also due to not many resources. Mali was known for mining and Teghaza was one of the more important mining centers in Mali.

# data[].attributes.body
The most important things that were sold in the trans Saharan trade were slaves and gold. Teghaza was an abandoned salt mining centre that was important during then since it formed a part of the long distance route. The houses in Teghaza were built off of rock salt and camel skins.

# data[].attributes.body
At first ibn Battuta was impressed with teghaza since everyone treated him with respect and kindness. After seeing the slaves and how they lived there ibn didn’t like it there and was very uncomfortable. He also thought of it as a “wasteland” and “fly ridden”. Even though the inhabitants would read him the quaran and take care of him he still only saw the roofs of houses covered with salt blocks.

# data[].attributes.body
The Swahili coast had a large Arab influence during this time, in face Swahili means coast in Arabic. After and during participating in the Indian Ocean trade, they got influenced by Arabs, Persians, the Chinese, and Indians.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.body
Not only was the Indian Ocean primarily around India there was also a lot of over seas trade in Africa. Exports from Africa included gold, ivory, slaves. Other goods such as glassware, silk, and pottery were also exchanged.

# data[].attributes.body
Since India was the main area for the Indian Ocean trade it is important to understand their aspect of culture. Cambay was home to many sailors and gujarat built connections with many other places during the Indian Ocean trade. Gujarat was home to many different religions but mainly Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, and some Buddhists. Dance was a very big part of gujarats culture and it still is today, we still use many dances to celebrate many different events.

# data[].attributes.body
During the period of which the Muslims had control over gujarat they brought silk from china and spices from other places. They traded these for textiles they manufactured and sold these to other places such as in Egypt. Cambay was one of indias most active trading centers at the time. They also were important fro cotton and silk clothes.

# data[].attributes.body
Calicut was known as the “city of spices” to some individuals. In Calicut as spices and other goods spread, so did religion. Hinduism, buddhism and Chinese culture spread quickly with merchants and trade. In fact Zheng he went to calicut several times to give and get presents. This gave china and India friendly ties which gave major trading opportunities to both places. In conclusion Calicut was a major part of the Indian Ocean trade.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
People across the world came to India to trade for spices at this time

# data[].attributes.body
Since Calicut did a lot of trade by ocean they were able to import and export things in bulk. Calicut exported a great deal of luxury goods such as spices and sugar. Calicut especially was known for trading pepper as they had an abundance of it. Spices were not only used for eating but for medicinal purposes which made the demand for it higher.

# data[].attributes.body
Calicut was one of indias most important trading centers. Zheng he went to Calicut to pick up gifts from the rulers and obtain spices. This exemplifies how far some travelers would come to India to get spices and other goods. This also shows a big part of indias culture. As described in the article “The kings of these countries all presented as tribute local products, and precious birds and rare animals”. Zheng he also explains he had to get ship repairs done in India due to his long journey. This shows calicuts helpful nature during that time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Constantinople leaned more towards Greek culture rather than Latin

# data[].attributes.body
Constantinople was a very diverse city and a place of many religions and cultures. It incorporated Greek and Christian cultures and later on, Persian. As learned in previous lesson Christianity greatly affected Constantinople and eventually became the main religion there. After Constantine converted to Christianity he made Constantinople one of the most powerful cities in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Constantinople was famous for its spices.

# data[].attributes.body
Constantinople traded many things and since it was a “meeting point” for many traders it was really busy. They traded a lot of ceramics, silk, perfume, and spices. Constantinople was also easy to defend so they got a lot of wealth due to the trade that occurred there.

# data[].attributes.body
Kinsay,hangzhou, was one of Marco polos favorite places to where he traveled. He even named it as “the city of heaven”.  He describes in his diaries how the community looked like. He describes Kinsay as so big that “there  are  in  it  twelve  thousand bridges  of  stone,  for  the  most  part  so  lofty  that  a  great  fleet could  pass  beneath  them”. Marco described the different guild in which each guild has many houses and they are all specialized in different crafts. This can explain how they we’re able to provide and make so much silk for trade. Kinsay also had a great number of merchants who traded so many good that one could not “estimate” how much. This shows us how large of a trading port Kinsay was.

# data[].attributes.body
Kinsay (modern day hangzhou) was known as the city of silk and to Marco Polo “the city of heaven”.  In Kinsay you could buy silk at practically every street. The use silk worm and use the silk to thread it into a complex pattern and make beautiful designs. Weaving silk isn’t the only thing that is important in their culture, they are also big on culture. During the Silk Road Kinsay was home to many people who worshipped many different religions (Confucianism, daoism, Islam, Buddhism) and those religions are still worshipped in modern day hangzhou.

# data[].attributes.body
Like all china, kinsay was big on silk and mainly traded that but they also had an abundance of porcelain and tea.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Samarkand traded many things and was a “crossroad” of cultures during the Silk Road. They were mainly known for glass but also traded fruits, fabric, animals 

# data[].attributes.body
a majority of people in Samarkand were Islamic. Which is why we can see a lot of Islamic art and architecture in their building s.