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West African Salt–Gold Exchange System
The West African salt–gold exchange system was the core institution of trans-Saharan trade, exchanging salt from Taghaza and Taoudenni for gold by we…
Timeline
- 1235–1337Mali Empire territories · MaliThe Mali Empire controlled gold mines and southern markets, with Timbuktu and Gao as hubs; camel caravans carried salt south from North Africa and gold north, while the empire taxed transit trade and monopolized some gold mine output.
- 1331Trade routes of the middle Niger River · MaliAfter Mansa Musa's death, competition for the throne weakened central authority and security on some trade routes declined, but salt–gold exchange continued by traditional measures, with Berber and Soninke merchants still running trans-Saharan freight.
- 1464–1591Gao · MaliThe Songhai Empire replaced Mali as the dominant trading power; Gao took over some of Timbuktu's functions, and the salt–gold exchange system continued under Songhai military protection until the Moroccan invasion.
Sources
- Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa — Kathleen Bickford Berzock (2019)
- The Cambridge History of Africa, Vol. 3: c.1050–c.1600 — J. D. Fage and Roland Oliver (eds.) (1977)