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How did Baghdad become connected to China, India, and East Africa?

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Arts and sciences under Hārūn al-Rashīd — Hārūn al-Rashīd Miniature by Yaḥyā ibn Maḥmūd al-Wāsiṭī in the *Maqāmāt* of al-︎Ḥarīrī depicting an Abbasid-era royal library, possibly the Bayt al-Ḥikmah in Baghdad, in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

During the reign of Hārūn al-Rashīd in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, Baghdad became the world's wealthiest city, serving as a central hub for international commerce. Its strategic location provided access to the Tigris and Euphrates river systems, allowing goods to be transported efficiently from the Persian Gulf and the southern regions of the empire.12

The city’s wharves were frequently lined with ships arriving from China, India, and East Africa, facilitating a vast exchange of goods and wealth that fueled the Abbasid golden age. While the Silk Road historically connected China and the West through overland caravan routes, Baghdad’s maritime connections allowed it to integrate these distant markets into its own thriving economy. This prosperity was further supported by the city's proximity to major trade routes crossing the Zagros Mountains toward the Iranian plateau, ensuring that Baghdad remained the focal point of the Abbasid Caliphate for decades.1342