Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Timeline

1. c. 1581–1583Gao · MaliThe Songhai Empire used Gao as its political center and Timbuktu as a major scholarly and trading city, where caravans assembled gold and slaves and crossed the Sahara northward along the upper Niger River.
2. c. 1584–1587Taghaza salt mines · MaliCaravans mined and transported rock salt blocks at Taghaza, exchanging water and supplies at oasis relay stations under Tuareg control, forming a segmented relay system in which salt and gold were exchanged by weight.
3. c. 1588–1590Fez · MoroccoAfter gold and ivory reached port cities such as Fez and Tunis, Jewish and Berber merchants passed them into Ottoman and Iberian Mediterranean trade networks, completing the intercontinental value chain.