Dromedary Camel Caravan Transport

Timeline

1. c. -3000–-1000Southern Arabian Peninsula · Arabian PeninsulaThe dromedary was domesticated in the Arabian Peninsula; able to go long periods without water and carry loads of over a hundred kilograms, it gradually replaced cattle and donkeys as the main pack animal of desert regions.
2. c. 700–1000Saharan trade routes · North AfricaCamels spread into North Africa with Islamic expansion; Berber and Arab merchants formed camel caravans crossing chains of Saharan oases, establishing a regular transport system linking West Africa with the Mediterranean.
3. c. 1311–1320Timbuktu–Gao trade route · Trans-Saharan trade routesIn the early 14th century trans-Saharan caravans reached their largest scale, each often comprising hundreds to over a thousand dromedaries carrying Malian gold, salt blocks, and goods between Timbuktu and North African ports, forming the longest-distance overland transport network of the time.