The suppression of Islam now allows you to occupy the entire Indian Ocean Carrying Trade, especially after you adopt the Long Ship. Furthermore it will allow you to move south to circum-navigate Africa, and to colonize centuries earlier than the Bantu migrations into southern Africa. Once you've established Provinces at Cape Town and along the east african litoral, you own the eastern coast. Now you can begin to move deeper into Africa, occupying the Song-hi, Mali and other empires of the Niger River Valley. These empires rivaled Rome in size and in military strength--just never developed written records, and termites prevented the preservation of celluloid product for more than a few decades. Once you've linked up Western Africa, East Africa, and the Med, you have closed the loop.
Problem is you need to develop Railroads, steam power, and other technologies that will allow you to link up all of the Empire.
