The relations between Beirut and Cyprus during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Pierre Moukarzel (Lebanese University Beirut, Lebanon)
THIS PAPER AIMS to show the importance of relations between Cyprus, especially Famagusta, and Beirut during the Mamluks era and sheds light on the Cypriot merchants settled in Beirut during the first half of the fourteenth century. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries various military, economic and political factors favoured the development of relations between Beirut and Cyprus, in particular Famagusta its main port, allowing them to play an essential role in the Mediterranean trade within the framework of the trade exchanges between East and Europe, and being able to attract the deployment of the European trade in the oriental Mediterranean Sea. After the fall of Acre in 1291, Cyprus played a great role in the trade with the Mamluk sultanate. In addition, it became a very important base of the European merchants, and served as a reloading point for many shipments of European products. The products of Cyprus, such as sugar, cotton, wheat and salt had a great market in many European countries. Its main port, Famagusta, formed the base from which the European merchants shipped to the West the spices, the cotton of Syria, and many other commodities coming from the dominions of the Mamluk sultan (Ashtor 1983, 39). Since the end of the thirteenth century, Venice organised a line of regular convoys of galleys connecting it to Cyprus, functioning under the control and the
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