Trans-Saharan camel caravan

Timeline

1. c. 700–1100Sahara oasis belt · SaharaBerber and Arab merchants organized dromedary caravans, linking the Ghana Kingdom with North Africa along oases such as Taghaza and Sijilmasa, establishing the trade route framework through a salt-for-gold model.
2. c. 1235–1330Timbuktu · MaliThe Mali court taxed the trade routes and stationed officials; caravans could number hundreds of camels, and Timbuktu and Gao became distribution and exchange centers for north-south goods.
3. 1331–1340Taghaza salt mines–Timbuktu trade route · MauritaniaDuring this decade caravans made seasonal round trips between salt-mining and gold-mining cities; North African merchants (Awadh Berbers) and West African Dyula merchants operated in partnership, transporting not only goods but also Islamic scholars and books.
4. c. 1468–1591Gao and Timbuktu · MaliAfter the Songhai Empire took over Mali's legacy the caravan system continued, but Moroccan military intervention and the rise of coastal trade reduced the relative standing of the trans-Saharan camel caravan.