TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE ROUTES

• What was the "ship of the desert," and what made it so important to the trans-Saharan trade?

  The “ship of the desert” referred to camels. They were important to the trans-Saharan trade because their toes were more suited to the terrain, and they can travel up to 10 days without water
• 1. Why were pastoralists important to the trans-Saharan trade?

  • They were important because they sold Caravans, which was an essential transportation method throughout the trans-Saharan trade.
• Some would argue that these trade routes reached their peak from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries. What changes caused this?

  • Changes such as the rise of powerful empires, advancements in transportation, and shifts in global trade dynamics contributed to the peak of trade routes from the 12th to 15th centuries
• Why did the rulers of West African kingdoms regulate the movement of merchants through their territory?

  • Rulers of West African kingdoms regulated merchant movement to protect the secrecy of valuable resources like gold mines and to maintain control over trade routes, which enriched and expanded their empires
• Some argue that though Islam arrived in West Africa before this period, local religions remained important long after its arrival. Why was this?

  • Local religions remained important in West Africa despite the arrival of Islam due to cultural resilience, syncretism, and the coexistence of diverse belief systems within the region
• Describe how the expansion of empires influenced trade and communication over time.

  • The expansion of empires influenced trade and communication by highlighting the role of powerful empires like Mali and Songhai in controlling trade routes, fostering economic prosperity, and facilitating cultural exchange
• Think about the several different networks described throughout 1200-1450. The trans-Saharan trade connects West Africa to North Africa and the Mediterranean. How do you think these trade routes were connected to other networks in Afro-Eurasia?

  • The trans-Saharan trade routes connected West Africa to North Africa and the Mediterranean, linking it to other networks in Afro-Eurasia such as the Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade routes, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across vast regions
• Communities connected by the trans-Saharan trade network

  • West African kingdoms
  • North African cities
  • Berber nomadic tribes
  • Arab merchants
  • Mediterranean cities
• Involvement in the trans-Saharan trade

  Facilitated cultural exchange, religious diffusion, and the development of multicultural urban centers
• Involvement in the trans-Saharan trade

  Stimulated urban growth, encouraged specialization, and led to the accumulation of wealth in trading hubs, promoting the development of banking systems and technological innovations
• • trade across the sahara linked the great Kingdoks of West Africa to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds
• • development of extensive trans-saharan trade route required 2 things
  • valuable trade goods that ppl would pay for
  • merchants needed a cost-effective method of transportation to move goods across the desert
• • berbers were the best mariners in the desert winds
  • some were pastoralists 
  • essential to the growth of the trans-saharan trade routes
  • camels helped them 
  • improved camel saddle, allowing them to carry even larger loads over greater distances
• • merchants often rented camels from pastoralists 
• • caravans were used for more colder months
  • october to march
• • some pastoralist weren’t always friendly
• • states and merchants paid tribute to pastoralists in order to ensure the safety of their caravens
• • timbuktu, in the Mali Empire of West Africa, started out as a caravanserai, or a pitstop for caravans, before it grew it grew into center of learning and commerce
• • series of trade routes that connected North Africa and the Mediterranean world with interior of West Africa and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa
• causes of expansion

  • transportation technologies
  • saddles
  • caravanserai
• trans-saharan goods

  • gold
  • kola nuts
  • horses
  • salt
• empire of mali converted to islam

  • religious and economic connections meant that Mali, once it was established, grew exceedingly wealthy because of its participation in the Trans-Saharan trade network