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

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 network. International Journal of Business and Technology Management, 8 (4). pp. 56-64. E-ISSN 2682-7646

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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:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Oman; Sohar; Sur; Qalhat; Old Kedah; Malacca
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CB History of civilization
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
Depositing User:	Dr Mohamad Firdaus Mansor Majdin
Date Deposited:	22 Aug 2026 20:20
Last Update:	22 Aug 2026 20:20
Queue Number:	2026-08-Q4892
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/130546

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