Adulis

Adulis was an ancient Red Sea port city on the coast near present-day Massawa in Eritrea. It served as the principal port of the Aksumite Empire from roughly the 1st century CE to the 7th century CE, acting as a gateway between the highlands of Axum and the wider networks of the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian Ocean. Through Adulis, goods moved between Africa and traders from the Roman world, India, and Arabia; the exchange included incense and myrrh, ivory, gold, ebony, rhino horn, tortoiseshell, and other African products, in return for glassware, wine, textiles, beads, and other imports from across the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.

Classical authors and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describe Adulis as a thriving market town and a key link in long-distance commerce. The city also played a role in the early Christianization of Axum in the 4th century, when Christianity spread across the kingdom; Adulis served as a royal and ceremonial center in this period.

Decline followed in the 7th century as Red Sea trade routes reorganized under new powers and as Islam expanded along the coast, reducing Axumite coastal access. Sand and silt, along with broader political changes, contributed to the harbor’s reduced importance. Archaeological remains from Adulis include inscriptions and imported wares recovered from coastal Eritrean sites; precise urban plans are not yet fully established.

Today, Adulis is recognized in historical scholarship as a major node in ancient Red Sea trade and as a key link between Axum and distant trading civilizations.