The shortest trade route between India and Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) typically involved maritime and overland paths. Merchants would often sail from Indian ports, such as Calicut or Cochin, across the Arabian Sea to the ports in the Arabian Peninsula, like Aden or Muscat. From there, goods would be transported overland through the Arabian desert or via the Silk Road, connecting to trade routes leading to Constantinople. This combined sea and land route facilitated the exchange of spices, textiles, and other valuable commodities.
The shortest trade route between India and Constantinople would be the land and sea route. This route would involve traveling overland from India to a port on the Arabian Sea, then sailing across the Arabian Sea, through the Red Sea, and finally into the Mediterranean Sea to reach Constantinople. This combination of land and sea travel would be more efficient than either the land or sea route alone due to geographical constraints and historical trade patterns.
constantinople
A straight line
the shortest air route is a great circle
since air travel can fly a more direct route, not having to circumnavigate land mass, it would be the shortest distance.
chennai to tehran, paris and london
who am I
The shortest route between two points on the surface of a planet, when routes are limited to the planet's surface, is the arc of the great circle that connects the two points. The shortest route between two points anywhere, without regard to intervening matter or energy preventing the route from being followed, is always the line connecting the two points.
Great Circle Route
It was the Suez Canal, which was a short cut between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, leading to India, Australia and Asia.
The fastest shortest path algorithm for finding the most efficient route between two points is Dijkstra's algorithm.
The geographical position of the Suez Canal makes it the shortest route between East and West as compared with the Cape of Good Hope. The Canal route achieves saving in distance between the ports north and south of the Canal.