Marine archaeologists using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have discovered a remarkably well-preserved shipwreck in the deep waters off the Seychelles archipelago. The vessel, identified as a dhow of Swahili-Persian construction, dates back to the mid-14th century. It appears to have been part of a sprawling trade network connecting the East African coast with the Persian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent.
The wreck's cargo hold contains hundreds of intact lapis lazuli blocks sourced from the Sar-i Sang mines of Afghanistan, along with bundles of fossilized cloves and bags of semi-precious carnelian beads. The presence of such diverse luxury goods in the middle of the Indian Ocean provides definitive evidence of the sophisticated, long-distance maritime economies that thrived centuries before European exploration in the region.