Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade is the long history of goods moving between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa by crossing the Sahara Desert. It reached its peak from about the 8th century to the early 17th century CE.
The Sahara was not always a desert. In ancient times, people in what is now Libya and Algeria kept herds, lived in larger settlements, and made pottery since at least 7000 BCE. Cattle appeared in the central Sahara around 4000–3500 BCE. Rock art from 3500–2500 BCE shows plants and animals not found in today’s desert. Over time the Sahara became a harsh barrier, making crossing worthwhile mainly when profits outweighed the risks.
Trade was done by caravans of camels. Ibn Battuta, a famous traveler who rode with a caravan, said an average caravan had about 1,000 camels, though some were much larger. Berber guides, who knew the desert well, protected the caravans. Caravans needed careful planning: runners would go ahead to oases to fetch water so the group would not run dry.
Ancient routes connected the Nile and Nubia with the Western Desert oases and the eastern Mediterranean. The Forty Days Road, or Darb el-Arbain, ran from the south to Egypt and was used since Egypt’s Old Kingdom; Romans later protected it with forts. The central routes included the Ghadames Road from the Niger River to Tripoli, and the Garamantean Road (the Bilma Trail) that went around the desert to Bilma’s salt mines and then north to the savanna near Lake Chad. The western routes included the Walata Road from the Sénégal River area and the Taghaza Trail through salt mines to Sijilmasa in Morocco.
The Garamantes, based in the Fezzan, controlled eastern routes early on. They traded with kingdoms far away and used slaves to build irrigation systems. Romans later moved into the area and protected routes to the south and east. The earliest evidence of domesticated camels in the region dates to about the 3rd century, which later helped regular trade across the desert. Trade intensified with the rise of Islam in West Africa in the 7th–8th centuries, which created new links between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Two main routes developed after the spread of Islam. One ran through the western desert from Morocco toward the Niger bend; the other ran from Tunisia toward Lake Chad. North African Berber traders, many now Muslim, connected West African kingdoms to the broader Muslim world. The long-distance trade helped West African states grow rich.
Salt and gold were the two most important commodities. Salt mined at Taghaza in the Sahara was carried south and traded for gold mined in the forest and savanna of Ghana, Mali, and later Songhai. The great city of Sijilmasa became a hub where gold could be minted into coins. Timbuktu, Gao, Djenné, and other towns along the Niger Bend flourished. Other goods moved along the routes too—beads, cloth, cowry shells, slaves, and eventually kola nuts.
Islam spread widely through these trade networks. The religion offered common rules for business, the Arabic language for trade, and new literacy through Qur’anic schools. As merchants and rulers converted to Islam, the networks grew even larger and more stable.
Europe also entered the picture when the Portuguese began trading along the West African coast in the 15th century. By the 16th century, coastal trading posts and European merchants became very important to West Africa, while long overland routes remained crucial for gold and salt.
The decline of overland trade began after the Moroccan army attacked Timbuktu and other cities in 1591–1592, breaking many networks. Later, sea routes and colonial powers, along with new railways, reduced the importance of crossing the Sahara. In the modern era, some Tuareg caravans still travel short desert sections, especially for salt, but large-scale desert crossing is much rarer.
Today, plans for a Trans-Saharan Highway aim to improve overland trade between Algiers and Lagos, with a largely paved route, though border rules and desert conditions still pose challenges. Some routes, like the Azalai caravans from Agadez to Bilma and Timbuktu to Taoudenni, are still used occasionally.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:39 (CET).