Gold–Salt Trade between the Ghana Empire and North Africa (c. 300–1200 CE)

1. Camels enable regular Saharan caravan travel

   Jan 1, 300Labels: Dromedary camel, North Africa, Trans-Saharan trade

   • OpenStax
   • MetMuseum

2. Sijilmasa founded as a Saharan trade entrepôt

   Jan 1, 757Labels: Sijilmasa, Morocco, Oasis town

   • Sijilmasa
   • MetMuseum

3. Ghana’s “land of gold” enters written record

   Jan 1, 790Labels: Ghana Empire, Arabic scholars, West African

   • KoumbiSaleh
   • Al Fazari

4. Early Arabic geographers describe Ghana’s political reach

   Jan 1, 890Labels: Arabic geographers, Ghana Empire, Political authority

   • GhanaEmpire
   • Britannica

5. Ghana takes control of Audaghost route nexus

   Jan 1, 990Labels: Audaghost, Ghana Empire, Caravan routes

   • GhanaEmpire
   • MetMuseum

6. Takrur adopts Islam and deepens northward ties

   Jan 1, 1035Labels: Takrur, Islam, War Jabi

   • Takrur
   • WarJabi

7. Almoravid expansion reshapes western Saharan trade routes

   Jan 1, 1056Labels: Almoravids, Western Sahara, Trade routes

   • CambridgeCore
   • MetMuseum

8. Al-Bakri records Ghana’s two-town capital and trade taxes

   Jan 1, 1068Labels: Al-Bakri, Ghana capital, Trade taxes

   • Al BakriBook
   • Al Bakri
   • GhanaEmpire

9. Salt mining centers anchor the desert side of exchange

   Jan 1, 1068Labels: Salt mines, Sahara, Salt trade

   • Taghaza
   • MetMuseum

10. Shift toward the Bure goldfield weakens Ghana’s leverage

    Jan 1, 1190Labels: Bure goldfield, Trans-Saharan routes, Ghana Empire

    • MetMuseum
    • Britannica

11. Sosso conquest ends Ghana’s dominance in the trade system

    Jan 1, 1203Labels: Sosso, Ghana Empire, Conquest

    • GhanaEmpire
    • MetMuseum

12. Gold–salt trade continues under new West African empires

    Jan 1, 1235Labels: Mali Empire, Gold salt, Successor states

    • MetMuseum
    • Britannica