Spices, shipwrecks and ancient trade routes: Louvre Abu Dhabi explores 1,000 years of Indian Ocean history

Visitors to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s latest exhibition begin their journey in darkness, lights above mimicking a star-filled sky. It’s a reminder of a time when sailors relied on the heavens to navigate the Indian Ocean, carrying spices, precious stones and textiles between distant civilisations. Such voyages connected communities from East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to India, China and South-East Asia, establishing commercial and cultural relationships that developed over centuries. Their history is explored in Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean, opening at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, October 14, and running until February 14, 2027. Organised in partnership…