Trans-Saharan Trade Network The Salt/Sand Route

People traveled at night on this route. Why?

What was the Trans-Saharan Route? (Salt/Sand Route) 1. It was a link between Africa and the Arab world. Arabia Africa This provided the opportunity for the trade of goods, such as gold, and ideas, including religion. (also: ivory, salt, and slaves)

What was travel like along the trans-Saharan trade route? People traveled using camels because they had flat feet to move easily across sand and could retain water (and would not have to be fed often). It took two months to cross the 1200 mile Sahara Desert. It was a difficult trip, but people risked dying of thirst to become rich.

The king of Ghana was the go-between The king of Ghana was the go-between. With no gold or salt, Ghana had the trade markets and kept the routes safe. Their king charged people to come and trade. They also punished thieves . severely!

Timbuktu Ghana salt ceramics glass oil lamps gold kola nuts palm oil copper Arab Traders Ghana

Tunisia Egypt

How did the ideas & beliefs of Islam spread into Africa? Arab merchants came to live in Africa and so their ideas spread. Arab traders brought the first system of writing and numbers to West Africa. The African kings hired Arabs as government officials to help them take care of trade matters.

AFRICANS CONVERT TO ISLAM 4. The Arabs in West Africa taught about the Muslim religion and many Africans converted to Islam and built mosques . Africans converted to Islam because it stressed the belief in the “brotherhood of all believers,” which encouraged trust and peaceful trade between people of different nationalities.

6. However, the Africans kept some of their own traditions, such as a matrilineal form of choosing the next ruler (the next king would be the king’s sister’s son). Women were also still very independent and they still scarred their faces to show clan affiliations.

7. Some also took the 3,500-mile pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, including Mali’s king, Mansa Musa.

Exit Ticket What were the political, economic and cultural impacts of the Trans-Saharan trade network on Africa. The Trans-Saharan trade network was a set of __________________ across the ________________ Desert where people ____________ goods, especially ________ and ________. The Africans traveled in ________ caravans to North Africa and Arabia to trade goods such as…. Islam spread because…