Question

What encouraged Muslims to start trading

Answer 1

Goods, Services, and Taxes

Luxurious silks, 

spices

, 

incense

, and the like counted among the Byzantine and early Islamic period’s most desired goods. Silk was particularly prized by both the Byzantine and 

Sasanian courts

. Significant quantities of it outside the Middle East attest to the material’s inherently high value and to the reach of its appeal. For instance, extraordinary silks survive as the linings of reliquaries in European treasuries; equally impressive are pieces wrapping the bodies of mummies found in China. Byzantine and Sasanian silks have been 

discovered in graves

 in 

Egypt

, showing the taste for the material among local, upper-class populations (

15.109

). Silk’s role as a valuable commodity ensured that its production continued for several centuries. Examples with 

classical imagery

 featuring crosses and Arabic inscriptions show the enduring popularity of older motifs (