The length of this phase can be limited to five minutes. Exchanges are possible only in the caravanserais and oases, and never on the trails. When several caravans are at the same oasis, their owners can exchange the wares they are transporting amongst them. Exchanges are secret and can be discussed aside from the other players. The players can also use the business phase to discuss future arrangements, to agree to send caravans carrying such and such goods, to get informed on the likely routes of their future caravans.
Nobody is, however, bound to respect such an engagement.
Players who wish to give a more diplomatic turn to the game can choose to start the game with a discussion phase, without any exchanges, before planning the first programme. During the business phase, a player can freely transfer wares between his own caravans resting in the same oasis or caravanserai. Victory As soon as a player has in his treasure all the wares indicated on his treasure cards, he reveals the fact and, by doing so, wins the game. Several players can win simultaneously, thus resulting in a draw. A caravan can carry between 0 and 6 ware tokens - which are always kept face down on the caravan pawn.