Trans-Saharan Trade Route

Timeline

1. c. -500–700Southern edge of the Sahara · SahelThe domestication of the camel and the gradual improvement of oasis stations produced an initial trade route linking North and West Africa, based mainly on the exchange of salt blocks and small quantities of luxury goods.
2. 800–1300Timbuktu–Gao–Taghaza route · MaliWest African empires such as Ghana and Mali rose, node cities along the route prospered, and Islamic commercial law and credit systems regulated caravan trade, with gold and salt becoming the core commodities.
3. 1401–1410Taghaza–Timbuktu route segment · SahelCentral authority in the Mali Empire weakened but the routes were not severed; Tuareg caravans still carried salt south from Taghaza, and West African gold was shipped north via port cities such as Timbuktu to Fez, Tunis, and elsewhere.
4. 1460–1591Gao · MaliThe Songhai Empire controlled hubs such as Gao and the center of gravity of the routes shifted east; Timbuktu remained a center of scholarship and trade until the system was severely damaged after the Moroccan invasion of 1591.