Maghribi Caravan Network

Timeline

1. 1000–1300Sijilmasa · TafilaletUnder the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, oases such as Sijilmasa and Tuwat became caravan assembly points; Maghrib merchants carried salt bricks south by camel caravan and returned with West African gold, forming fixed seasonal routes and a well-supplied system of wells.
2. 1300–1400Timbuktu · TimbuktuThe Mali Empire controlled the gold-producing regions of the upper Niger River, with Timbuktu and Gao becoming southern caravan hubs; Maghrib and Sudanese merchants kept accounts in Arabic, and caravans could number hundreds of camels.
3. 1431–1440Marrakesh · MarrakeshAs Mali's power declined and Morocco's Wattasid dynasty consolidated rule, Maghrib caravans still traveled back and forth via the Taghaza salt mines and the Wargla route; merchants of Fez and Marrakesh obtained transit protection through qadis and tribal agreements, sustaining the gold–salt–slave trade.
4. 1550–1600Tangier · TangierThe Saadian dynasty sought to control the Sudanese gold trade, tilting caravan routes toward the oases of southern Morocco; meanwhile competition from Portugal and Atlantic ports diverted some cargo flows, but camel caravans remained the main overland transport between the Sahel and the Maghrib.