Halim Gençoğlu is a historian with PhD from UCT and is a post-doctoral fellow at Wits University. Picture: Supplied
At Cape Point, a striking statement on the information board captures a pivotal moment in world history: “The European age of African maritime exploration began in the 15th century after the powerful Turkish empire had blocked the overland route to the East. This was the catalyst for Dias and subsequently, Portuguese expeditions to find the sea route to India.”
The statement encapsulates a critical turning point that reshaped global trade, exploration and the historical trajectory of continents.
By the mid-15th century, the Ottoman Empire, under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed II, had emerged as a formidable power in the eastern Mediterranean and south-east Europe.
In 1453, the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of Ottoman control over key trade routes linking Europe with Asia. This effectively blocked Europeans from using traditional overland routes, including the Silk Road, to access the lucrative markets of the East, such as India and China.
According to the view, the Ottoman blockade disrupted the flow of goods like spices, silk and precious gems, which were highly sought after in Europe.
However, this statement is not entirely accurate. The Ottomans allowed Western merchants to use the Mediterranean coasts, provided they did not disturb populations in northern Africa.
Turkish archival documents show that the Algerian sultanate sought help from the Ottoman Empire against Spanish occupation in 1512.
The claim that the Ottoman Empire blocked the sea route legitimises Western colonialists’ actions in the East African Sea.
Turkish scholar Abubakr Effendi noted: “Ottoman Sultan Selim ordered the establishment of a mosque in Maputo. I visited the mosque and prayed there, where local people are still praising Ottoman Sultan Selim in the Friday Sermon.”
This is an important event; however, later, Portugal occupied Mozambique, and Portuguese became the dominant language during their colonial era.
In response to the Ottoman blockade, European nations, particularly Portugal and Spain, sought new ways to reach the East, primarily driven by colonial ambitions.
In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, which he named the Cape of Good Hope. The monumental journey proved that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were connected, opening the possibility of a sea route to Asia. The opening of the route shifted the centre of global trade from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, enhancing the economic power of Atlantic states like Portugal, Spain, England and the Netherlands.
What began as a response to a blockade by the Ottoman Empire quickly evolved into a transformative period in world history. Portuguese maritime expeditions not only established new trade routes but also set the stage for centuries of European colonisation.
The overall impact of colonialism on Africa included severe exploitation, loss of sovereignty, cultural disruption, economic exploitation and long-term socio-political challenges.
If, today, Northern African countries do not speak Portuguese or Spanish, it is because the Ottomans did not block but protected the region from Western occupations.
* Halim Gençoğlu is a historian with PhD from UCT and is a post-doctoral fellow at Wits University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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