Arabian Sea

'The Arabian Sea occupies the northern Indian Ocean between the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Somalia. Its surface covers about 3,862,000 square kilometres, and depths in the Arabian Basin exceed 4,500 metres in places. The Indus is its largest river inflow, while Socotra, Masirah, and Astola are among its larger islands.

From the third millennium BC, the straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb connected the sea with the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, joining merchants from the Mediterranean and Near East with Africa and South Asia. Monsoon winds and ocean currents set the rhythm of passage. Summer winds carried moist air northeastward and brought heavy rain to the northeastern basin, while winter and spring conditions were drier.

These seasonal reversals made timing central to long-distance sailing and helped create a dense network of ports, coastal markets, and exchange across the Old World. Its coasts belonged to Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the Maldive and Laccadive islands. later ports include Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Mormugao, Karachi, Qasim, Gwadar, Chabahar, and Salalah, continuing the sea’s role as a corridor of exchange.