For example, the Crusades stimulated trade and actually created a huge trade network from the west to the Levant to India and China, which may surprise you. Promoting international trade, especially trans-Mediterranean maritime trade, is one of the most important influences of the establishment of the Crusader countries in the early12nd century.
Before the Crusade, the coastal ports of the Levant had fallen into a period of desolation and decline. The trade between the various parts of Seljuk Empire was mainly carried out by land, as was the trade of the whole North Africa. The Mediterranean is still a disputed area, and Arab pirates from North Africa endanger the shipping of Europe and Byzantium-and vice versa. The biggest trading ports are Alexandria and Constantinople. With the establishment of the Crusader countries in the Levant (1099- 129 1) and Cyprus (1192-1571), everything changed.
These countries revived the coastal cities of the Levant, especially Ake, Tyre and Tripoli, but Jaffa, Caesarea, Haifa, Sidon, Beirut and Latakia were less revived. 129 1 After Acre was occupied by Mamluk in, Famagusta in Cyprus became a central trading post in the eastern Mediterranean.
From about 1 123, the Venetians destroyed a huge Fatima fleet until the rise of the Ottoman Empire, and the Mediterranean was controlled by western naval forces. /kloc-in the 20th century, the combined naval forces of Byzantium, Sicily and Italy protected European merchant ships. In the following centuries, Italians, especially Venice, and the Order of Hospitals (Order of Rhode Island and Malta) provided such protection.
At the same time, preferential trade with Italy's maritime powers (Genoa, Venice, Pisa) has turned major Frankish cities into prosperous ports for import and export goods. Soon, caravans as far away as India and Ethiopia came to the Levant port to sell their goods. In fact, even in archaeological excavations, China pottery of this period was found.
There are many kinds of products passing through the ports in the Middle East. They include high-value products, such as medicines, spices, silk, gold thread (also known as siglatin-silk, from Latin silk/Latin silk), ivory and incense. Other important export products are sugar (produced in large quantities in factories by Franks for the first time), honey, soap, glass, pottery, icons, manuscripts and jewels. (Located under the ruins of a13rd century sugar factory in Collosi. )
Take a closer look at one of the textiles. Some of the best fabrics in the Middle Ages originated in the Near East. Egypt's cotton and flax are famous for their quality, and they are exported through the Levant port, as are Damascus's silk. We are familiar with the types of fabrics, such as tulle, tulle and Damascus. Their names all come from the cities where they were originally produced in large quantities, namely Mosul, Gaza and Damascus.
On the other hand, glass is a product directly produced by the Crusader countries. Beirut is famous for its red glass, while Tyre is famous for its white glass. Glass is used to make window panels, but enamel can also be used to make exquisite drinking utensils. Stained glass is also used to decorate windows and produce luxury goods, such as perfume bottles and holy grail.
Speaking of jewelry, one of the characteristics of the Crusader countries is the holy land souvenirs that pilgrims can take home. Another unique product in the Middle East during this period was the sacred box, which was a beautiful gold and silver container used to protect and display sacred objects.
Through these ports, equally valuable products enter: fur, wood (a very valuable product due to the scarcity in the Middle East), wool, iron and shameful slaves. Although slavery no longer exists in western Europe, the economy of the whole Islamic world still depends entirely on slave labor. This has created an almost insatiable demand for fresh human beings. Italy's maritime power is eager to develop profitable human trade. They bought "barbarian" (unwashed) prisoners from today's Russia and then sold them in the Arab slave market in the Middle East through Latin American ports.
Finally, and most importantly, there are a large number of pilgrims "trading". This kind of religious tourism, including Jews and Muslims, but mainly Christianity, is a great boon to the region's economy. Thousands of ships sail twice a year, bringing thousands of pilgrims from the west to the holy land every year. As today, these tourists need places to stay and eat. They need guides, transportation and safety. They bought souvenirs and shoes, clothes suitable for the climate and gifts.