Late Middle Ages · East Asia · Exploration
1416
Zheng He's Fleet Visits Aden and East Africa
1416
The fourth treasure voyage reached the Arabian port of Aden and the Swahili coast of East Africa, exchanging Chinese porcelain and brocaded silk for frankincense, myrrh, and African exotica including giraffes that Ming courtiers joyfully identified as the mythical qilin, an omen of imperial virtue. Chinese diplomatic reach now spanned the entire Indian Ocean basin, from the Yangtze shipyards to the coral ports of Mogadishu.
In context
Also in 1416 (4 other events on record)
- Poggio Rediscovers Lucretius · Europe · Culture
- Prince Henry Begins Organizing African Exploration · Europe · Exploration
- Venice Defeats Ottoman Fleet at Gallipoli · Middle East · War
- Jerome of Prague Burned · Europe · Religion
Before and after in East Asia
Before and after in Exploration
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.