Trans-Saharan Trade Network

Timeline

1. c. 800–1200Gao–Timbuktu corridor · MaliAfter the 8th century, Arab–Berber merchants and West African states established regular trade routes; camel transport and Islamic credit networks (such as agency trade) institutionalized the gold–salt exchange, with Gao and later Timbuktu becoming inland hubs.
2. c. 1300–1580Timbuktu · TimbuktuUnder the Mali and Songhai empires, Timbuktu, Gao, and Hausa cities (Kano, etc.) formed multi-tier nodes; North African ports fed metals and salt from Fezzan and the Taghaza salt mines in exchange for West African gold and slaves, with tariffs and escort systems controlled by local rulers.
3. 1591North Africa–West Africa trade routes · West AfricaIn 1591 a Moroccan Sa'di expeditionary force captured Gao and Timbuktu, the Songhai empire collapsed, and the eastern trans-Saharan trade was severely damaged; in the 1590s the southern route through Hausaland to Benin and Kano remained active, with merchants rerouting and adjusting credit and escort arrangements to maintain the gold and salt exchange.
4. 1601–1700West African coast and interior · West AfricaWith the expansion of European coastal footholds and the slave trade in the 17th century, some gold and goods shifted to sea routes; the trans-Saharan network survived under Hausa and Berber middlemen but declined in volume and profit, while political fragmentation of inland cities increased route uncertainty.