Trans-Saharan trade

Trans-Saharan trade, between Mediterranean countries and West Africa, was an important trade route from the eighth century until the late sixteenth century. Before inquiring about the locations of caravan routes and the ebb-and-flow of trade volume, it is essential to ask how such trade existed at all. For the Sahara Desert is a hostile expanse that separates the Mediterranean world-economy from the economy of the Niger. Fernand Braudel pointed out (in The Perspective of the World), such a zone, like the Atlantic Ocean, is only worth crossing in exceptional circumstances, when the gain outweighs the loss. However, unlike the Atlantic, the Sahara has always been home to groups of people practising trade on a local basis.

Related Topics:
Mediterranean - West Africa - Trade route - Eighth century - Sixteenth century - Sahara Desert - Fernand Braudel

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The trade was conducted by caravans of Arabian camels. These camels would be fattened for a number of months on the plains of either the Maghreb or Sahel before being assembled into a caravan. According to Ibn Battuta, the explorer who accompanied one of the caravans, the average size was a thousand camels per caravan with some being as large as 12,000. The caravans would be guided by highly paid Berber guides who knew the desert and could ensure safe passage from their fellow desert nomads. The survival of a caravan would be precarious and rely on careful coordination. Runners would be sent ahead to oases so that water could be shipped out to the caravan when it was still several days away, as the caravans could not carry enough with them to make the full journey.

Related Topics:
Caravan - Arabia - Camel - Maghreb - Sahel - Ibn Battuta - Berber - Nomad - Oases

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