www.thecollector.com
The Lasting Impact of the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
The Trans-Saharan trade routes connected West Africa to the Mediterranean world, having an impact on not only the economy but also culture, religion, and politics across the African continent and beyond. What were these trade routes, who led them, what was carried on and among them, and what were their impacts?
Garden of Allah
Saharan dunes at dusk. Source: Pexels
Sahara is an Arabic word meaning ‘desert’. It refers to the arid landscape stretching from the concave face of western Africa towards Egypt, ending at the emerald waters of the Red Sea. In addition to Egypt, this area includes the regions of Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, and Mauritania. Composing an area nearly the size of Europe, the Sahara is the world’s largest desert. However, only 25% is actually composed of the undulating dunes usually associated with desert landscapes.
Satellite view of Saharan desert. Source: PICRYL
The majority of the Sahara is actually plains and plateaus, creating a mosaic of different shades of sienna, burnt orange, and tan. This vast desert was also once referred to as the ‘Garden of Allah’, believed to be created by Allah as a place for him to walk in peace (Prange, p. 13). A shortage of evidence and lack of reliable written resources means that ancient Saharan trade history is shrouded in both myth and mystery. However, routes and objects carried between regions within and around the Sahara during the ancient world created the foundation for the trans-Saharan trade networks that developed after Islam spread in the 7th century AD.
Darb El Arba-in, or the Forty Days Road
El-Kharga Oasis. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Trade in the Sahara can be dated as far back as the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt (2675–2130 BC). The Darb El Arba-in, or the Forty Days Road, was a route connecting the Nile River Valley to present-day Sudan. It took advantage of El-Kharga in southern Egypt, a lush oasis that served as the main “gateway” between Egypt and the south Sahara (M.S. Solieman, p. 206).
The oasis environment meant that El-Kharga was fertile with grain, olives, dates, and grapes, which were staples of Egyptian and Nubian diets and cuisine. It is also possible that gold, ivory, and spices passed along this route. Although dating back to the Old Kingdom, this route reached its zenith under the Romans, whose road technology around the 2nd century BC vastly improved the efficiency of transport along this route (M.S. Solieman, p. 205). The Forty Days Road would play a significant role in Trans-Saharan trade as one of five main routes to transport enslaved people which persisted well into the 18th century.
The Saharan Trade in Herodotus
Map of the world according to Herodotus. Source: Wikimedia Commons
One historical account of ancient Saharan trade comes from the Greek historian Herodotus, who authored The Histories around 430 BC based on his alleged travels to Africa. While Herodotus’ pioneering work of historical inquiry earned him the sobriquet “Father of Western History,” Herodotus’ tendency to relate wild and incredible accounts in The Histories means that he is also called the “Father of Lies” (Austen, p. 13).
However, The Histories mentions a supposed route connecting Egypt to Algeria, as well as the trading of salt. The route from Egypt to Algeria allegedly went through Fezzan, the arid region of southern Libya. Fezzan’s metropolis was Germa, once ruled by a powerful empire known as the Garamantes between 1000 BC to 700 AD.
Although historians are wary of Herodotus’s accounts, the route passing through Fezzan would mimic trade routes passing through this region centuries later. Once Islam spread across North Africa beginning in the 7th century, Germa was restored as a strategic stop of the Trans-Saharan trade network (Austen, p. 22).
Salt transport by a camel train on Lake Assale (Karum) in Ethiopia. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Although Herodotus was likely referring to a salt trade around Libya, salt was a crucial commodity in the western side of the Sahara. The best quality salt (and thus the most sought after) was rock salt. Although the desert landscape produced salt in abundance, areas surrounding the Niger River Valley lacked this vital mineral. What initially began as a trade between salt and grain during the Neolithic period transformed into the exchange of salt with other metals like copper and gold. The salt trade facilitated the development of urban settlements in West Africa that would later become kingdoms, such as Ghana and Timbuktu, strategic entrepots for Trans-Saharan trade.
The location of West Saharan salt quarries has shifted over the centuries, causing different mines to boom and fall into decay. However, salt from the Western Sahara continues to supply regions south of the desert. Today, salt from Taoudenni in Mali is transported to areas like Timbuktu by trucks and camel caravans.
Desert Dromedaries
Camel in Egypt. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Although camels have become synonymous with the Sahara, they were actually introduced from Arabia. These dromedaries, or single-humped mammals, are native to the Arabian Peninsula and were possibly introduced into North Africa some time around the 3000-2500 BC (Austen, p. 17). Initially used in battle, it would take several centuries before they became the “ships of the desert.”
Camels were designed for desert environments. They can go 15 days without water, regulate their body temperatures to levels that would be near-fatal for other animals, and transform their hump, which is full of fat, into water and energy. The pads on their feet also prevent them from sinking into sand. The camel’s resilience in desert climates and capacity as pack animals (they can carry up to 600 pounds or 300 kilograms) transformed trade, providing people with a vehicle to cross long distances unachievable with horses, donkeys, or chariots. Camels were arguably the catalyst for long-distance trade in the Sahara.
Erg Chebbi Dunes in Morrocco. Source: Flickr
Camels would have a lasting impact, shaping trade, lifestyles, and also the cultural identities of people who relied on them, such as the Imazighen (known historically as Berbers) and Tuaregs. Caravans traversing the desert were composed of anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000 camels, helping hundreds of merchants, pilgrims, and enslaved people cross the Sahara.
Once camel caravans became used for transporting people and goods across the Saraha, transit across the desert hardly went through any changes. Ralph A. Austen, author of Trans-Saharan Africa In World History, goes so far as stating the only difference between the caravan route of Mansa Musa in the 14th century and those of the 19th century is the presence of firearms (Austen, p. 36). This is because the harsh desert environment made the region resistant to new technology. Despite attempts by France to construct a railroad in its colonial territories in West Africa, it was not realized until the 20th century.
In spite of this, camels are still a primary method of transport in parts of the Sahara, for both nomadic communities like Bedouins and Tuaregs and for larger scale commercial transport like salt in Taoudenni, as previously mentioned.
Spread of Islam Across the Sahara
Map of Trans-Saharan trade routes. Source: Getarchive
One of the largest lasting impacts of Trans Saharan trade was the spread of Islamic belief, custom, and Arabic language throughout North Africa and the Sahara.
Islam initially spread across North Africa through a series of military campaigns by Arab leaders, leading to fierce resistance from local forces such as the Imazighen and Byzantines. However, the end of these conflicts paved the way for a unique convergence between Islamic belief, Arabian culture, and local customs that would persist into the 21st century. Over a century after Arab conquest, Islamic sects such as the Ibadis (from the Algerian and Tunisian hinterlands) and Sufris (in southern Morocco) emerged and began venturing into the desert in search of trading opportunities. This would be a pivotal moment for trade across the Sahara.
Ibadis and Sufris groups began spreading to pre-established oasis trading centers from the ancient world such as the aforementioned Germa and Kanem around Lake Chad, the southernmost point of the Sahara conquered by the Romans. However, they also established new trading settlements like Ouargla in South Algeria, which would become an instrumental center for the circulation of gold and enslaved people. From this point forward, the Sahara would transform into a “global highway,” carrying merchants, pilgrims, faith, enslaved people and objects along the routes created by camel caravans and their leaders (Austen, p. 22).
Islamic Golden Age and Contemporary Impacts
Page from Al-Buni’s Treatise on the Magical Uses of the Ninety-nine Names of God, 15th century. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The spread of Islam helped unify diverse cultures across the Sahara through shared belief and custom that maintained connections with local traditions. Arabic also became a lingua franca across the Muslim world, enabling its constituents to communicate, write, and speak with other Muslims. This, combined with Islam’s encouragement of scholarship facilitated the Islamic Golden Age, a period of scientific, technological and philosophical achievement that would influence the European Renaissance.
Islam’s expansion throughout the Sahara had a profound impact on its people, cultures, and history which maintains a strong presence today. Arabic is still widely spoken in many countries, and there are similarities in cuisines, music, and religious practice from Morocco to Egypt.
Saharan Wealth Attracts Europeans
Mansa Musa from the Catalan Atlas, 1375. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The development of trading centers across the Sahara facilitated a market that helped kingdoms like Ghana, Mali, and Kanem-Borno obtain unprecedented amounts of wealth. One famous example is Mansa Musa, the 14th century King of Mali whose opulence was the modern equivalent of $131 billion, making him one of the richest people to have ever lived. Musa’s alleged generosity with his wealth during his pilgrimage to Mecca crashed the price of gold in Egypt for nearly a decade after his visit.
The association between Musa and gold was memorialized on a map depicting him seated on a throne holding a golden orb. Referred to as the Catalan Atlas, this map was produced in 1375 by Spanish cartographers who never traveled to the Sahara, but likely received accounts from people who did. The map illustrates Medieval European knowledge and fascination with Saharan trade, which would shape the 15th century Age of Exploration. This period began Europe’s maritime exploration to Africa, Asia and the Americas, marking the beginning of European colonialism.
Trans-Saharan Trade and the World
Chinese colored porcelain. Source: Rawpixel
The Trans-Saharan trade fed into larger global trading networks. Gold from the Western Sahara arrived in European markets, but was also carried as far as India and China (Austen, p. 30). In exchange, merchants would obtain spices, textiles, ceramics and other objects which would be carried back to Africa. Global commerce was possible due to maritime trade across the Indian Ocean. One object from this maritime network that deeply impacted Trans-Saharan trade were cowries, small shells extracted from Maldivian beaches.
The Trans-Saharan trade route carried these shells across the desert to West Africa, where they became staples of decoration, jewelry, religion, and art. However, they were also used as a form of currency, which had a deep impact on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Seeing there was a market for cowries, Europeans brought them in great numbers to West African coasts to obtain enslaved people from African leaders for labor in their colonies. As a result, cowries became a fundamental unit of exchange for enslaved people. By the 18th century, one enslaved person was valued at 160-176,000 shells.
Kuba (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Headdress, 19th century. Source: Brooklyn Museum, New York
Additionally, practices of capturing people for enslavement during the Transatlantic Slave Trade were rooted in methods used for the Trans-Saharan trade networks. For centuries, enslaved people were typically taken from sub-saharan Africa. Unlike the Transatlantic Slave Trade, this was not for racial reasons, but was due to the dense populations of these areas. Once captured, people would be taken in camel caravans across the Sahara to North Africa or to the Gulf states.
Once Europeans arrived at West African coasts to get enslaved labor for their colonies, the pattern of venturing to inland West and Central Africa remained. Rather than capturing people themselves, Europeans paid West African slavetraders who then brought these people to the coasts.
Legacy of the Trans-Saharan Network
Sahara desert sunset. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Trans-Saharan Trade network had a profound impact on the circulation of objects, ideas, and people throughout Africa, the Mediterranean, and the globe. Built upon trade networks that existed in the ancient world, trade across the Sahara was facilitated by Islamic merchants through the help of camels, instrumental modes of transport still used throughout the Sahara. As a result, Saharan countries share the common language of Arabic, similar customs, and culture. Trans-Saharan trade also helped kingdoms and people, like Mansa Musa, accumulate vast amounts of wealth that would inspire European sailors to venture to these famed areas of wealth, marking the beginning of European colonization. The Trans-Saharan trade continues to resonate deeply in our modern world.
Bibliography
Austen, Ralph A. Trans-Saharan Africa in World History. Oxford University Press, 2010.
“Imazighen! Beauty and Artisanship in Berber Life: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.” Peabody Museum, peabody.harvard.edu/OE-imazighen#:~:text=The%20Berbers%E2%80%94or%20Imazighen%E2%80%94are,farthest%20reaches%20of%20the%20Sahara.
McDougall, E. Ann. “Salts of the Western Sahara: Myths, Mysteries, and Historical Significance.” The International Journal of African Historical Studies, vol. 23, no. 2, 1990, pp. 231–57.
M.S. Solieman, Nashwa, et al. “Reconstructing the ancient caravan route of Darb al-Arbain in Greco-Roman Egypt: Heritage Value and tourism potential.” Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality, vol. 16, no. 2, 1 June 2019, pp. 202–224.
Prange, S. (2005) ‘Trust in God – But Tie Your Camel First’: The Economic Organization Of The Trans-Saharan Slave Trade Between The Fourteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Dissertation. Department of Economic History, London School of Economics.
“Sailors on Sandy Seas: Camels in Saharan Rock Art.” British Museum, africanrockart.britishmuseum.org/thematic/camels-in-saharan-rock-art/.
New Posts (Home)
ChatBox
Popular Posts 
Game Zone
Top PodCasts
