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Article: The Mughal port cities of Surat and Hugli.
- Article from:
- Marg, A Magazine of the Arts
- Article date:
- December 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Marg Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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With the establishment of the Mughal empire in India, there was a qualitative expansion in overseas trade and commerce. The Indian Ocean trading network, extending from the Far East to West Asia, expanded in variety, density, and traffic in the 16th century, supported by the emergence of sprawling empires all over the Asian world, early in the century. These empires brought large areas under their control, and provided greater security for the movement of commodities across great distances. This was also the period when we see European Companies establishing their trading settlements in Asia (figure 1). Indeed, it is tempting to exaggerate the significance of "the European ...