The Trans-Saharan trade routes connected sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean, facilitating the exchange of goods like gold, salt, ivory, and textiles. Caravans, often led by Berber traders, traversed treacherous desert paths, with key routes linking cities such as Timbuktu and Gao in the Mali Empire to trade hubs like Marrakech and Cairo. This trade not only enriched economies but also facilitated cultural and religious exchanges across the regions. The reliance on camels, known as the "ships of the desert," was crucial for transporting goods across the arid landscape.
Islam
The Trans-Saharan trade shaped history by sharing other people's goods and beliefs that soon spread through other cultures and changed them.
The rise of European maritime trade in the 15th century, particularly the discovery of new sea routes to Asia, caused a decrease in trans-Saharan trade. Europeans were able to bypass the Sahara Desert and establish direct trade links with Africa's coastal regions, diminishing the importance and profitability of the trans-Saharan trade routes.
Some factors that led to the rise of trans-Saharan trade were the spread of Islam and the trading between the North and West.
The Trans-Saharan trade routes facilitated the exchange of valuable goods such as gold, salt, ivory, and slaves between North Africa and West Africa.
Islam
The first permanent trade route was created in 1482
cross bow and compass
which counties were involved in the trans-Saharan slave trade
gold and salt
what are the similarities and differences between trans saharan trade and transatlantic trade
trans-saharan-trade
Timbuktu, located in Mali, was a key city at the intersection of the main trans-Saharan trade routes. It served as a major trading hub for goods such as gold, salt, ivory, and slaves during the height of the trans-Saharan trade.
The Trans-Saharan trade shaped history by sharing other people's goods and beliefs that soon spread through other cultures and changed them.
The settlement of timbuktu
The settlement of timbuktu
Trans-Saharan trade routes were primarily land based, the Silk road was both land and sea.