Trans-Saharan Trade Route

Trans-Saharan Trade Route History

Historians believe that ancient Egyptians imported obsidian from Senegal in West Africa. To achieve this, they would have had to cross the Sahara desert.

Evidence points to trade between the people residing in coastal North Africa and desert communities, specifically the Berber people.

Actual trade emerged in 700 CE. A few factors led to the development of this organized trade. Oasis communities grew, the use of camels increased, and Islam began to spread. The Berbers and Arabs in North Africa started to travel in caravans to West Africa and back.

At the dawn of the Common Era, the North African coast was under the control of the Roman Empire. Egypt and Libya were wealthy trade and population hubs. Berbers used the routes to move enslaved people, animals, spices, and gold. Other foods and goods were moved into West Africa. General trade in the area began to diminish as climate change made the area more difficult to travel.

Despite this, trans-Saharan trade roared to life, and a "golden age" of trade began around 700 CE. By this time, Islam was prevalent across all of Northern Africa. Camels revolutionized both travel and trade.

The period from 1200 to 1450 CE is seen as the peak of trading along the trans-Saharan trade route. Trade connected West Africa to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.

Trade towns developed on both sides of the desert. The Ghanian Empire dominated for two hundred years before it fell. The Mali Empire then arose.

Eventually, the importance of this trade route disappeared as sea routes became an easier way to travel and trade.

Trans Saharan Trade Route Map

Fig. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade Route Map

Caravans of camels and traders crossed the Trans-Saharan trade route in many places. There were

• seven routes that ran from north to south
• two routes that ran from east to west
• six routes that ran through forests

The trans-Saharan trade route was a web of passages through the desert that worked like a relay race. Camel caravans aided traders.

Why was this route so important? People who received goods from the route wanted goods that were not readily available in their home regions. There are essentially three different climate zones in Northern Africa. The northern part has a Mediterranean climate. The western coast has a grassland climate. In between lies the Sahara desert. Finding a safe way to cross the desert to trade allowed people in different regions to obtain new items.

Trans-Saharan Trade Route Technology

Technological innovation helped trade grow through the trans-Sahara region. Examples of these innovations include camels, saddles, caravans, and caravansaries.

The most significant piece of "technology" that helped trade throughout the Sahara was the introduction of the camel. Why the camel? Well, they were more suited to the environment than horses. Camels are naturally good at surviving for long periods with minimal water to drink. Camels can also travel long distances. They are also more robust, carrying hundreds of pounds of goods long distances.

The Berbers introduced a saddle for a camel, which allowed the rider to carry large loads of goods over long distances. Over time, different variations of the harness were introduced. People kept looking for ways to safely improve the saddle to hold heavier loads of goods. More goods could be moved through the desert if a harness could carry heavier items. This would potentially allow for lower costs and higher profits.

Fig: 3 Camel Caravan

Camel caravans were another critical innovation. More trade along the trans-Saharan trade route meant more traders traveling space. Traders began traveling together since traveling in a big group was safer. Bandits often raid small groups of traders. Caravans also provided safety in case a trader or camel was sick or injured during travel.

The last important innovation was the caravanserai. Caravanserais were like an inn where a trader could stop to rest. They also functioned as trading posts. Caravanserais were square or rectangular-shaped buildings that contained a courtyard in the center. There were rooms for merchants to rest, places to trade, and stables for camels. They were necessary for the safety they provided and the cultural diffusion that occurred from having a diverse group of people in close quarters.

These innovations were vital because they allowed for more items to be traded and communication between regions. Remember, the desert has exceptionally harsh conditions, and failure to travel through the region without taking the correct precautions would likely result in death. These innovations allowed people to travel and trade in the area a bit more safely.

Trans-Saharan Trade Route: Goods

What goods were traded along the Trans-Saharan trade route? The significant goods traded were salt, gold, humans, and cowrie shells used for currency.

The communities in West Africa often utilized the trans-Saharan trade routes for trading with those in Northern Africa and vice-versa. The West African communities looked to trade their gold, salt, textiles, and ivory. The northern African communities wanted to trade animals, weaponry, and books.

Trans-Saharan trade also included the trading of human slaves. These slaves, most often prisoners of war, were typically sold by the West Africans to the Muslim traders in North Africa.

Trans-Saharan Trade Significance

The Trans-Saharan trade route expanded over time, significantly impacting nearby people and places. The significance of trans-Saharan trade can be seen in the politics, economics, and societies of North and West Africa.

Many positive effects of trans-Saharan trade can be seen in the region. They include but are not limited to

• growth of trade towns

• evolution of the merchant class

• heightened agricultural production

• new access to goldfields in West Africa.

As people gained access to new goldfields, West Africans began accumulating wealth. This encouraging growth of new trade routes expanded further into West Africa. The region started quickly gaining trading power, and large empires began to develop. Two of the most significant trading empires were Mali and Songhai. The economy of these empires was based on trans-Saharan trade, so they encouraged trade by supporting the traveling merchants in the area.

However, not all effects of trade along the trans-Saharan route were positive. Some of the more damaging effects were

• increased warfare
• increased slave trade

The cultural trade along the trans-Saharan route may have been the most significant. Cultural diffusion allowed religion, language, and other ideas to spread along the route. Islam is a strong example of cultural distribution along the trans-Saharan trade route.

Islam spread into North Africa between the 7th and 9th centuries. It started slowly expanding, aided by the transfer of ideas between the West African people and the Muslim merchants they interacted with. The upper, elite social classes were the first to convert. Wealthy African merchants who converted then were able to connect with wealthy Islamic merchants.

Trans-Saharan Trade Route Summary

The trans-Saharan Trade Route was a 600-mile web of trade networks crossing Africa's Sahara desert. It linked Northern and Western Africa. Caravans of camels and traders crossed the Trans-Saharan trade route in many places. There were some portions of the trail that ran from north to south or from east to west. Some parts of the route crossed through forests. This trade route was vital because it allowed people to obtain items that were not quickly produced in their environment.

Many types of goods were transported along the trans-Saharan trade route. They include salt, gold, and humans. Human slaves and gold were heavily traded in the region.

Some significant technological innovations helped sustain trade across this challenging desert region. These innovations include the introduction of camel, camel saddles, caravans, and caravansaries.

Over time, trade continued, and access to the goldfields increased. As merchants began to accumulate wealth, the wealthy merchant class emerged. Access to gold helped powerful empires rise.

Significant cultural trade arose through the cultural diffusion around the trade routes. Cultural diffusion allowed religion (primarily Islam), language, and other ideas to spread along the route. Islam spread into North Africa between the 7th and 9th centuries.