Between Arabia, the Malay world and China: Omani port cities as strategic nodes in the wider Indian Ocean maritime trading networks

Mansor Majdin, Mohamad Firdaus and Zakariya, Hafiz and Mohd Sobri, Mohd Helmi (2026) Between Arabia, the Malay world and China: Omani port cities as strategic nodes in the wider Indian Ocean maritime trading networks. In: 7th International Conference on Business, Education, Innovation and Social Sciences 2026, 16 May 2026, KUALA LUMPUR.

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Abstract

This article re-evaluates the strategic roles of Omani port cities, specifically Sohar, Sur, and Qalhat, within the wider Indian Ocean maritime trading networks, with a particular focus on their relationship to the Malay world. It argues that these ports functioned not merely as participants but as structurally central nodes that facilitated the circulation of commodities, technologies, and ideas across regions. Drawing on Arabic and Chinese textual sources alongside archaeological evidence, the study demonstrates that Omani traders actively connected the Arabian Peninsula with India, the Malay world, and China between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. In doing so, it positions Omani port cities as key intermediaries within an integrated and interdependent maritime system

Item Type:	Proceeding Paper (Other)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Oman; Sohar; Sur; Qalhat; Old Kedah; Malacca
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of History & Civilization Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
Depositing User:	Dr Mohamad Firdaus Mansor Majdin
Date Deposited:	30 Jun 2026 10:29
Last Modified:	30 Jun 2026 10:29
Queue Number:	2026-06-Q3808
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/129254

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