 Cloves were traded by Omani sailors and merchants trading goods from India to the mainland and Africa during the Middle Ages in the profitable Indian Ocean trade.Until modern times, cloves grew only on a few islands in the Moluccas (historically called the Spice Islands), including Bacan, Makian, Moti, Ternate, and Tidore.In fact, the clove tree that experts believe is the oldest in the world, named "Afo", is on Ternate; the tree is between 350 and 400 years old.