Trade of the Songhai Successor States (1640s)

Timeline

1. 1641–1645Dendi (south of Gao) · NigerThe Kingdom of Dendi, as the main successor to the Songhai Empire, continued to control trade on the middle Niger River in the 1640s. Caravans traveled between Timbuktu and the southern forest zone, maintaining traditional trade patterns such as the salt-for-gold exchange.
2. 1643–1647Timbuktu · MaliTimbuktu remained an important node of Islamic scholarship and long-distance trade. Arab, Berber, and local merchants traded books, textiles, and metalware there, and the city retained considerable prosperity after the Songhai breakup.
3. 1648–1650Southern route of trans-Saharan trade roads · Southern Saharan fringeFacing pressure from Moroccan expansion into North Africa and the Sahel, caravans began adjusting their routes to avoid conflict zones. The successor states sustained trade through flexible diplomacy and multiple routes, but political uncertainty had already raised the cost of long-distance trade.