The Gate of Lamentation: Bab el-Mandeb, Chokepoints and Global Interconnected Crisis

The Red Sea, and particularly the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has historically played a vital role in economic trade and in turn been a strategic area in terms of geopolitics. In the Greco-Roman world, the area was where African and Arabian trade converged, facilitating the exchange of valuable spices and aromatics, like myrrh, tortoise shells and ivory. In the medieval period the Red Sea was hub for navigation. Writers such as Ahmad ibn Majid wrote technical treaties on the wind, coral reefs, currents and surrounding islands, developing the knowledge around sailing practices and the region’s geography allowing for expansions of trade networks.