Trans-Saharan trade

**Trans-Saharan trade** be trade wey dey happen between Sub-Saharan Africa plus North Africa wey people need cross de Sahara desert before dem fit do am. Even though dis trade start from prehistoric time, e reach peak between de 8th century go early 17th century CE.De Sahara desert no always be dry land like e dey today. For Libya plus Algeria, from at least 7000 BCE, people dey herd sheep plus goats (pastoralism), build large settlements, plus dey use pottery. Cattle enter de Central Sahara (Ahaggar) somewhere between 4000 and 3500 BCE. Dem even find some amazing rock paintings from 3500 to 2500 BCE inside dry desert regions wey show plants plus animals wey no dey present now inside modern Sahara. Dis suggest say de climate used to be different—more wet or green—before e turn dry like today.

Now as desert, de Sahara be one hostile wide zone wey dey separate de Mediterranean economy from de one wey dey inside de Niger River Basin. Like Fernand Braudel talk, crossing such place—especially without motor transport—only make sense when rare conditions make de expected profit higher than de cost plus danger. Trade insyd de Sahara dey happen through camel caravans. De Maghrebi explorer Ibn Battuta, wey travel with caravan before, report say regular caravan get about 1,000 camels, but some fit reach 12,000. De caravans get Berber guides wey dem dey pay well, because dem sabi de desert well and fit give protection against other desert nomads. To survive, de caravans need proper planning: runners dey go ahead to reach oases, make dem send water come meet de caravan days before, because de caravan no fit carry enough water for de full trip. For mid-14th century CE, Ibn Battuta cross de Sahara from Sijilmasa pass salt mines for Taghaza reach de oasis of Oualata. One guide go ahead, then dem bring water through four-day journey from Oualata meet de caravan.

Culture plus religion also dey exchange along de trans-Saharan trade routes. Many West African states later adopt Arabic writing plus de religion wey dey North Africa—Islam. All dis make dem states enter inside de Muslim world proper.

## Early trans-Saharan trade
Ancient trade cover de northeastern corner of de Sahara desert during de Naqadan era. Predynastic Egyptians during Naqada I period dey trade with Nubia wey dey south, de oases wey dey Western Desert to de west, plus cultures wey dey eastern Mediterranean to de east. Plenty trade routes move from oasis to oasis make traders fit get new supply of food and water. Dis oases really important. Dem also dey import obsidian from Senegal wey dem use shape blade plus other items.

One land route wey pass through Wadi Hammamat from Nile go Red Sea dey known since predynastic time; dem even find drawings of Egyptian reed boats along de route wey date go as far back as 4000 BCE. Ancient towns wey date reach First Dynasty of Egypt grow along de Nile and Red Sea junctions, show say de route dey popular since time. Dis route turn major road from Thebes go Red Sea port called Elim, from there travelers fit continue enter Asia, Arabia or Horn of Africa. Records dey show say rulers like Senusret I, Seti, Ramesses IV, plus later de Roman Empire, all sabi dat route, especially for mining purposes.

Darb al-Arbaʿīn trade route, wey stretch from Kharga for south go Asyut for north, start dey used from Old Kingdom time for carry gold, ivory, spices, wheat, animals plus plants for trade. Later on, Ancient Roman people come guard de route by placing forts plus small outposts along am. Some of de outposts even protect big settlements wey get farming activity. Herodotus describe de road say people dey cross am “within forty days,” wey be why e get de name Forty Days Road. De route grow turn important land trade path between Nubia and Egypt. Starting from Kobbei—40 kilometers north of al-Fashir—de route cross desert reach Bir Natrum (one oasis and salt mine), then pass through Wadi Howar before e enter Egypt. De Darb el-Arbain route be de easternmost among de central desert trade roads.

De westernmost among de three central desert trade roads be Ghadames Road, wey stretch from Niger River around Gao go north reach Ghat plus Ghadames, then end for Tripoli.

Next be de most easy one among de three routes—Garamantean Road, wey dem also call Bilma Trail. E get ein name from de old rulers of de region wey e pass through. Dis route dey run south of de desert near Murzuk, before e curve go north between de Alhaggar plus Tibesti Mountains, until e reach de oasis wey dey Kawar. From Kawar, caravans dey pass over de big sand dunes of Bilma—where dem dey mine plenty rock salt for trade—then reach de savanna wey dey north of Lake Chad. Dis route be de shortest, plus main trade na slaves den ivory from de south wey people exchange for salt. One researcher for early 20th century write say de Tripoli-Murzuk-Lake Chad route carry majority of de Trans-Saharan traffic wey move from Mediterranean coast within de past 2,000 years.

One other Libyan trade route move from Benghazi go Kufra, then stretch reach de land wey dey inside de Wadai Empire—between Lake Chad plus Darfur.

De western trade roads include de Walata Road, wey pass present-day Oualata for Mauritania, come from de Sénégal River; plus de Taghaza Trail, wey start from de Niger River, pass de salt mines for Taghaza, then go north enter de big trade town called Sijilmasa wey dey inside Morocco just north of de desert. De rise of de city Aoudaghost, wey dem found from as far back as 5th century BCE, get boost because of ein location wey dey serve as southern entry point of one trans-Saharan trade route.

For east side, three ancient trade roads connect de southern areas go de Mediterranean. De herdsmen wey dey Fezzan area for Libya—wey dem dey call Garamantes—control dis routes since around 1500 BCE. From demma capital town Germa inside Wadi Ajal, de Garamantean Empire dey do raids go north reach de sea plus south into de Sahel region. By de 4th century BCE, de free city-states of Phoenicia take over de territory plus trade routes wey de Garamantes dey hold before. Shillington talk say de link wey already dey with de Mediterranean get more boost when port city Carthage begin grow. Carthage wey dem found around 800 BCE, turn one major end-point for West African goods like gold, ivory plus slaves. West Africa too dey receive salt, cloth, beads plus metal items in return. Shillington also show say dis trade connection help push West African iron smelting. De trade continue go reach Roman Empire time. Even though Classical writers mention direct travel between Mediterranean and West Africa, most of de trade really pass through middlemen wey know de dry land routes. Roman military unit Legio III Augusta later guard dis trade roads for Rome from de 1st century CE, protect de southern border of de empire for almost two and half centuries.

Garamantes too join inside de trans-Saharan slave trade. Dem use slaves inside demma own communities to build plus take care of underground irrigation systems wey dem dey call foggara. Early records of trans-Saharan slave trade come from one ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, insyd 5th century BCE. He write say Garamantes dey enslave cave-dwelling Egyptians wey dey Sudan. Two records dey wey show say Romans join Garamantes go slave raiding expeditions—first one happen insyd 86 CE, plus second one happen few years later reach Lake Chad. Initially, dem dey get slaves from Toubou people, but by 1st century CE, Garamantes don begin collect slaves from places wey today be Niger plus Chad.

During early Roman Empire times, de city of Lepcis set up one slave market wey dem use buy and sell slaves wey come from inside African interior. De Roman Empire put customs tax on top de slave trade business. By de 5th century CE, Roman Carthage dey trade black slaves wey people carry cross de Sahara desert. Black slaves seem to get value for Mediterranean side as house slaves, partly because of how exotic dem look. Some historians even argue say de amount of slave trade during dis Roman era fit even pass de levels wey happen during medieval times—mainly because demand for slaves inside de Roman Empire really high.

## Introduction of de camel
Herodotus write say de Garamantes dey hunt Ethiopian Troglodytes from chariots; dis story link plus pictures wey show horses dey pull chariots insyd cave art wey dem draw for southern Morocco den de Fezzan. Dis give rise to one theory say de Garamantes or maybe anoda Saharan people fit create chariot routes wey dem take supply Rome den Carthage gold plus ivory. But some people argue say no horse skeleton never dey discovered from dat early time for dat area, den chariots no be better transport for trade because dem no fit carry plenty load.

De earliest evidence for domesticated camels insyd de region dey from de 3rd century. Used by de Berbers, dem make more regular contact across de whole width of de Sahara possible, but regular trade routes no develop until de beginnings of de Islamic conversion of West Africa insyd de 7th den 8th centuries. Two main trade routes develop. De first one pass through de western desert from modern Morocco go de Niger bend, de second from modern Tunisia go de Lake Chad area. Dis stretches be relatively short den get de essential network of occasional oases wey establish de routing sure pass like pins insyd map. Further east of de Fezzan plus ein trade route through de valley of Kaouar go Lake Chad, Libya be impassable because e no get oases den e get fierce sandstorms.

## Medieval trans-Saharan Trade
Several trade routes come establish, maybe de most important one end for Sijilmasa (Morocco) den Ifriqiya to de north. For there, plus other North African cities, Berber traders get more contact plus Islam, wey encourage conversions, den by de 8th century, Muslims start travel go Ghana. Plenty people for Ghana convert to Islam, den e likely say de Empire ein trade benefit from dat. Around 1050, Ghana lose Aoudaghost to de Almoravids, but new goldmines around Bure reduce trade through de city, instead e benefit de Malinke of de south, wey later build de Mali Empire.

Unlike Ghana, Mali be Muslim kingdom from de time dem establish am, den under am, de gold–salt trade continue. Other trade goods wey no too important be slaves, kola nuts from de south den slave beads plus cowry shells from de north (for use as currency). E be under Mali wey de big cities for de Niger bend—including Gao den Djenné—prosper, plus Timbuktu especially become known across Europe for ein great wealth. Important trading centers for southern West Africa grow for de area wey dey between de forest den de savanna; examples be Begho den Bono Manso (wey dey insyd present-day Ghana) den Bondoukou (wey dey insyd present-day Côte d'Ivoire). Western trade routes still remain important, plus Ouadane, Oualata den Chinguetti be de major trade centres for where now be Mauritania, while de Tuareg towns of Assodé den later Agadez grow around one more easterly route for where now be Niger.

De eastern trans-Saharan route lead to de development of de long-lived Kanem–Bornu Empire as well as de Ghana, Mali, den Songhai empires, wey center around de Lake Chad area. Dis trade route no be too efficient den e only rise to great prominence when trouble dey insyd de west, like during de Almohad conquests.

### Trans-Saharan slave trade
De trans-Saharan slave trade, wey start from Antiquity, continue during de Middle Ages. De slaves wey dem carry from across de Sahara mostly serve rich families as domestic servants den concubines. Some serve inside de military forces of Egypt plus Morocco. For example, de 17th century sultan Mawlay Ismail ein self be de son of slave, den e depend on army of black slaves for support. De West African states import highly trained slave soldiers.

To estimate how many enslaved people dem transport through de trans-Saharan routes hard, especially before proper record-keeping start. Historian John Wright give one estimated average of 5,000 people per year over de 1250 years of de trade (from de 7th to 20th century), wey make de total estimate fall "between 6 den 7 million". Majority of dis people dem transport after de 1500s.

### Saharan triangle trade
De rise of de Ghana Empire, for where now be Mali, Senegal, den southern Mauritania, follow de increase of trans-Saharan trade. Northern economies no get enough gold but dem dey control salt mines like Taghaza insyd de Sahara sometimes, while West African countries like Wangara get plenty gold but dem need salt. Taghaza, one trading den mining outpost wey Ibn Battuta talk say de buildings dey made of salt, rise to importance insyd de salt trade under de control of de Almoravid Empire. Slaves mine de salt, den people buy am plus manufactured goods from Sijilmasa. Miners cut thin rectangular slabs of salt straight from de desert floor, den caravan merchants carry dem go south, wey dem charge transportation fee wey reach almost 80% of de salt ein value. Dem trade de salt for Timbuktu market almost weight for weight plus gold. De gold, wey dey come as bricks, bars, blank coins, den gold dust, go Sijilmasa, from there e go Mediterranean ports den dem strike am into Almoravid dinars.

### Spread of Islam
De spread of Islam go sub-Saharan Africa link to trans-Saharan trade. Islam spread through trade routes, den Africans wey convert to Islam increase trade plus commerce, wey increase de trade ein population.

Historians give plenty reasons why de spread of Islam help trade. Islam bring common values plus rules wey trade dey base on. E create network of believers wey trust each other, so dem fit trade even if dem no know each other personally. Dis kind trade networks dey before Islam, but dem small. De spread of Islam increase de number of points inside de network den reduce how vulnerable e be. De use of Arabic as common trade language plus de increase of literacy through Quranic schools sana help commerce.

Muslim merchants wey dey do commerce gradually spread Islam along demma trade network. Social interactions plus Muslim merchants make plenty Africans convert to Islam, den plenty merchants marry local women den raise demma children as Muslims.

Islam enter Western Sudan by de end of de 10th century, enter Chad by de 11th century, den reach Hausa lands insyd de 12th den 13th centuries. By 1200, plenty ruling elites for Western Africa convert to Islam, den from 1200 to 1500, Africa see significant conversion to Islam.

## Decline of trans-Saharan trade den collapse of West African empires den kingdoms
De Portuguese demma move along de West African coast open new ways for trade between Europe den West Africa. By early 16th century, European trading bases—de factories wey dem set up for de coast since 1445—plus trade wey dey happen plus Europeans turn very important to West Africa. North Africa lose ein political den economic importance, while de Saharan crossing still long den dangerous. But de main heavy blow to trans-Saharan trade be de Battle of Tondibi of 1591–92. For one big military expedition wey de Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur organize, Morocco send troops cross de Sahara den attack Timbuktu, Gao plus some other important trading centres, destroy buildings den property, den exile prominent citizens. Dis disruption to trade make de importance of dis cities drop sharp, den de hatred wey e cause reduce trade well-well.

Even though e reduce plenty, trans-Saharan trade still continue. But trade routes go de West African coast come turn easier, especially after de French invade de Sahel for de 1890s den later build railways go de interior. Dem plan one railway line from Dakar go Algiers through de Niger bend, but dem no construct am. When countries for de region gain independence for de 1960s, de north–south routes break because of national boundaries. National governments no support Tuareg nationalism, so dem no make serious effort to maintain or support trans-Saharan trade. De Tuareg rebellion of de 1990s plus de Algerian Civil War come spoil de routes more, wey make many of dem close.

Traditional caravan routes now dey mostly empty of camels, but de shorter Azalai routes from Agadez go Bilma den from Timbuktu go Taoudenni still dey used regularly—even though e light. Some Tuareg people still dey use de traditional trade routes, wey dem dey travel about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) den spend six months every year by camel across de Sahara, dey trade salt wey dem carry from de desert interior go communities wey dey de edge of de desert.

## De future of trans-Saharan trade
De African Union plus African Development Bank dey support de Trans-Sahara Highway from Algiers go Lagos through Tamanrasset, to help boost economic development. De African Development Bank note say traffic increase for de border plus Chad because of exports wey dey cross Niger go Algeria. De route get pavement except for one 120 mi (200 km) section for northern Niger, but border restrictions still dey block traffic. Only small number of trucks dey carry trans-Saharan trade, mostly fuel plus salt. Dem propose three other highways to cross de Sahara; for more details check Trans-African Highways. To build de highways hard because of sandstorms.

## Sanso see

* Trans-Saharan slave trade

## References


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