Trans-Saharan trade
trade between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa
Trans-Saharan trade is trade between North Africa and the rest of Africa (sub-Saharan Africa) that requires travel across the Sahara. Though this trade began in prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a different climate and environment. In Libya and Algeria, from at least 7000 BCE, pastoralism (the herding of sheep and goats), large settlements and pottery were present. Cattle were introduced to the central Sahara (Ahaggar) between 4000 and 3500 BCE. Remarkable rock paintings (dated 3500 to 2500 BCE) in arid regions portray flora and fauna that are not present in the modern desert.
As it became a desert, the Sahara separated the Mediterranean economy from the Niger River basin. As Fernand Braudel points out, crossing such a zone, especially without mechanized transport, is worthwhile only when exceptional circumstances cause the expected gain to outweigh the cost and the danger. Trade was conducted by caravans of camels. According to Maghrebi explorer Ibn Battuta, who once traveled with a caravan, an average one would amount to 1,000 camels, but some caravans were as large as 12,000. The caravans were guided by highly-paid Berbers who knew the desert and could ensure protection from fellow desert nomads.
The public source identifies “Trans-Saharan trade” as trade between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Trans-Saharan, trade and between.
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This entry incorporates text from “Trans-Saharan trade” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.