Sphere No.43 (Oct 2017)

SPHERE #43 2017 10 were always there to bring the likes of silks, spices, glassware and ceramics to lords’ and princes’ tables, generating enormous wealth for cities such as Damascus, Baghdad and Samarkand during the medieval period. As the poles on which civilisations turned multiplied and spread around the world, the region became known as “the Middle East” and drew its power in knowledge, mythology, technology and culture from being the facilitator of East–West exchanges; a wellspring of inventions and discoveries. A LEGACY OF CIVILISATION >> Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (Hutchison Ports) is a major link in this venerable chain of trade. The port giant operates in 49 ports spanning 26 countries across the seven seas. Among them, 24 locations in 19 countries are along the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, far more than any other port operators. Its Middle East and Africa Division currently operates seven container terminals in six countries: Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Tanzania and Iraq. One more port in the region, in Egypt, is managed by its Europe Division. The Middle East and Africa Division started operations in 2001 – a rather new addition to the family. It handled a total of 3.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in 2016 and is a leading operator in terms of its diversified portfolio and number of ports in the region. ONE SEA, ONE ROAD “The long-term outlook for this region remains very strong, given the size of the population and the import and export volume ratios versus various key economic indexes,” says Andy Tsoi, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Middle East and Africa Division. “Many countries are witnessing expansion in key infrastructure developments and the ports will complement these kinds of developments because most infrastructure projects will need materials from overseas.” ANCIENT LINKS, UNBROKEN From Dakar to Qatar, it brought together the three major cultural zones – Europe, the Far East and Sub-Saharan Africa. Trade routes, both by land and sea, were its raison d’être , and a constant striving for people to better their lives through innovation and technology has been common to the people in this important nexus of world trade. When the ancient Silk Road disintegrated from political instability circa 1400–1700, merchants turned to the high seas for alternative routes, stimulating an era of great voyages. Legends were revived that matched the needs of the time, like that of Sinbad the Sailor, a Homeric figure who travelled the seas off East Africa and South Asia, encountering magic and monsters around 1,300 years ago. While Sinbad was a fictional character, much mythologised in books and films, another adventurer plied the same waters about 700 years later. However, that adventurer was no myth to match the times – he was very, very real. Zheng He was a mariner, diplomat, explorer and eunuch that led one of the world’s greatest armadas from China to the Arabian Peninsula and even the east coast of Africa. He returned to China from one voyage with a giraffe in 1414. Trade to and from the region was exotic indeed – but persisted. The Strait of Hormuz, as well as the Suez Canal – which was built in later eras to connect with the Mediterranean – are still two of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, connecting Europe and even North America to the east coast of Africa, the Indian subcontinent and onwards to Asia and Australia. 4000BC~ Blessed by the fertile soil between the Euphrates and the Tigris, the Mesopotamian civilisations see the rise of ancient cities in the region. 200BC- 200AD The Ancient Silk Road shapes East-West exchange during the Chinese Han dynasty. 600- 1250 “The Belt and Road Initiative is like a wheel … you can see that it is rolling out ... running faster and faster.” Eric Ip Group Managing Director Hutchison Ports The Islamic Golden Age sees numerous technological advancements and fosters East-West trade along the Ancient Silk Road. 1400- 1700 Disintegration of the Ancient Silk Road gradually pushes trade onto the high seas and brings about the Age of Discovery. Zheng He presents a giraffe to the Chinese imperial court in 1414 after returning from one of his far-ranging voyages.