Arabick Routes

Arabick routes

The Levant Company was formed in 1580 and promoted trade between Britain and the Ottoman Empire. Aleppo, Constantinople (Istanbul), Smyrna (Izmir) and other cities in the Eastern Mediterranean sent goods like luxury Damask silk to ports in Venice and London.

Velvet and silk luxury items were a common import to Europe along the new trade routes from the East. The original technique for producing velvet was developed in ancient Egypt. The first
factory to produce silk velvet for the Ottoman Empire was opened in Istanbul in the 16th century, and from there it spread to Europe.