The Trans Saharan Trade
This was the trading relation between the people of Western Sudan (Sudanic/Savannah region) and the people of North Africa passing across the Sahara desert.
Trans Saharan trade is also sometimes referred to as caravan trade. It was carried out across the Sahara desert. The trade involved different zones ranging from forest i.e. involving the forest states such as Benin, Oyo, Kanem Bornu and many more, the savannah belt which involved the Western Sudanic states such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai, the Sahara desert and the North Africa, the Mediterranean world and Europe.
Camels were used as the means of transport during this trade. Societies that participated in the Trans Saharan Trade included;
Trans Saharan trade is also sometimes referred to as caravan trade. It was carried out across the Sahara desert. The trade involved different zones ranging from forest i.e. involving the forest states such as Benin, Oyo, Kanem Bornu and many more, the savannah belt which involved the Western Sudanic states such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai, the Sahara desert and the North Africa, the Mediterranean world and Europe.
Camels were used as the means of transport during this trade. Societies that participated in the Trans Saharan Trade included;
- The Berbers of North Africa and brought them to West Africa via the Sahara desert.
- The Arabs and the European stationed in the Mediterranean costs of North Africa. These supplied goods to the Berbers and Tuaregs who in turn sold them to the people of West Africa. The said Arabs and purchased the items brought from West Africa.
- The West African tribes of both the Sudanic region and the forest regions to include the Mandika, Fulani, Hausa, Edo etc. these supplied items to the Berbers and Tuaregs who crossed the Sahara and purchased the items brought from North Africa.
- Commodities involvedFrom North Africa the commodities were:
- Cotton and silk clothes
- Swords
- Guns and gunpowder
- Horses, etc.
From West Africa the commodities were:- slaves
- ivory
- ostrich feathers
- kola nuts
- Gold
- Salt
- Food stuff
Trans Saharan trade was firstly carried out through barter system and there after some media of exchange like cowries shells, silver, coins, etc. replaced the barter system.Trade routesThe Trans Saharan Trade was carried out via the routes namely:- The western routes
- The Central route
- The Eastern route
The Western route emerged from Fez in Morocco via Siljilmasa, Taghaza, Taoden, Walata, and Audaghost up to Timbuktu. This route was famous because of salt mines at Taghaza and gold mines Wangara.The central route emerged at Tunis in Tunisia via Tuat, Taotek, Tadmekket, Timbuktu, Gao, and Kano up to Katsina.The Eastern route to the other hand emerged from Triplin in Libya, Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt to Bilma via Murzuk, Ghat and Agades. This route was significant because of salt mines in Bilma.
Organization of the trade:
commodities used; different regions had different commodities that they concentrated on, from Europe and Muslim North Africa included manufactured goods, textile, copper, silver, woolen garments, brass, tin and horses
From the Sahara were salt mined at Bilma, Taghaza, Taoden, Idjil and Awlil, copper mined at Takkeda, tobacco and dates inclusive.
The savannah region had millet, sorghum, wheat, gum and ostrich feathers and livestock as well as gold that were mined from Wangara.
The forest zone was well known for gold mines at Akan and Lobi, kola nuts, ivory and the slaves.
The first medium of exchange was the barter system where goods were exchanged for goods but as the people became professional traders the medium of exchange also changed the traders started using cowries and at a later stage they started using the French franc and then the Spanish and Australian dollars.
As caravans were organised they had to follow specific trade routes that gave them a sense of direction on their way through the trade. The major trade route that was used included;
- From Ghat and Tripoli to Ehyot.
- From Ghana to Morocco via Audaghast.
- From Timbuktu to Tunis via Taghaza.
- From Borno to Tripoli.
- From Kano to Tunis and Tripoli via Agades.
- From Timbuktu to Tunis via Wangala, Ghademes and Ghat.
Factors for growth of Trans Saharan Trade
Several factors contributed to the growth and development of Trans Saharan trade. These include:-
- Political stability in both North Africa and West Africa, hence a conducive ground forthe trade activities to flourish.
- The desire by European traders of such items as ivory, gold and slaves which were tobe obtained only from Western Sudan.
- The desire of European commodities by the people of Western Sudan.
- Production of surplus commodities such as kola nuts, salt, fish and other food stuffsin Western Sudan. These had to be exported to other regions including NorthAmerica.
- The introduction and use of camels as animals of transportation, these were able to carry huge quantities than horses and human porters. They were also tolerable in desert conditions.
THE MAP OF TRANS SAHARAN TRADE ROUTES
Effects of the Trans Saharan Trade
The Trans Saharan Trade had to a lot of effects as follows:-
- It led to development and growth of towns and cities in both North Africa and theWestern Sudan, example being Walata, Kano, and Timbuktu etc.
- It led to emergence of rich merchants classes in Western Sudan as these merchants accumulated a lot of wealth from the trade.
- It led to the spread of Islam, Arabic culture and language in Western Sudan.
- It led to intermarriages between the people of Western Sudan, the Arabs and AfroArabs from North Africa.
- It led to the growth and consolidation of Sudanic states namely Ghana, Mali, Songhaiand Kanem Bornu.vi. It stimulated the state of warfare between Western Sudanic states and forest states dueto the desire for slaves.
Impacts of the Trans Saharan Trade
Contributed to the formation of West African states and kingdoms, the profits that were raised from trade helped in the development of different states, these were got through the taking over charge or control over the trade routes and every one using that route had to pay tax or tributes.
For example Ghana Empire conquered Audaghast in 990 A.D. in view of controlling the salt mines in that area, Mali and Songhai extended their control as far as Taghaza and Takedda for economic reasons. It is therefore true to say that trade facilitated the rise and consolidation of the different states.
The spread of Islam was greatly accelerated by the Trans Saharan Trade in West and North Africa. The traders were serving two masters at a go as they were traders and also acted as teachers of Islam (evangelists) a thing that improved on the literacy rates in the region.
Growth of towns and cities, due to the trade many areas which were once villages turned into towns in what is known as urbanisation. Small villages turned into large towns and cities such as Kumbi Saleh, Gao, Kano, Jenne, Timbuktu plus many others.
Improvement of political administrations, the caravan trade also improved political administration of the different kingdoms through the use and employment of well educated Muslim traders who had been attracted by the trade. Many of the states were also applying the Islamic ways of administration in their different areas or jurisdiction
Exploitation of natural resources, as the influx of the Whites increased, this marked the beginning of the exploitation of natural resources that were endowed in Africa. It is also believed that this was the time of unequal exchange between Africa and Europe began.
Provision of constant and regular source of income,The attractive profits from trade provided constant and regular source of income for the different states. This was mainly raised from the custom duties that imposed on the imports and over goods of great political importance such as horse and the different metals that were imported into the state.
Trade also provided the sources for undertaking wars of conquest and expansion through the supply of effective means of war fare, such as horses and metals that could be used in the making and designing arms as spears, arrows head and axes.
Factors for the fall of Trans Saharan Trade
By the second half of the 19th century, the trans Saharan trade was almost collapse of this trade was a result of the following factors:
- Introduction of trans Atlantic trade which altered the trade route of Trans Saharan Trade.
- The emergence of other sources of salt and gold needed by European traders due toopening up of mines in the Americas.
- Scarcity of water in the desert discouraged the voyages via the desert.
- Eruption of wars (jihad) in the Maghreb region particularly Morocco. This disrupted the trade.
- Colonisation of West African states by European powers in the last quarter of 19thcentury deteriorated the trading relations with North Africa
Update
TRANS SAHARAN TRADE
Trans Sahara trade was the trade conducted across the Sahara desert. It involved the people of Northern Africa and the people of Western Sudan. This trade started long time ago between 3000BC to 2000BC. It became important in the 1 st century AD after the people of West Africa to discover the use of camel and led to formation of many trade routes. The Trans Saharan trade was known as dumb trade because there was no common language which was used.
People who involved in the trade
1. West Africa
2. North Africa
3. Savannah Region
MOVEMENT OF TRADERS.
People (traders) organized themselves in groups known as CARAVANS
Goods involved in the trade
Kola nuts, gold, salt, food stuffs, Ivory, clothes, gold, bee-wax, slaves and ostrich feathers goods from West. And from North Africa salt and animal skin. Goods from Europe and Asia were cotton and silk cloth, swords, guns, metal pans, horses and Arabic books.
Trade routes :
1. Western route- From Sijilmasa, Fez in Morocco passed through Taghaza, Taodeni, Walata, Audaghost, and Kumbi Saleh to Timbuktu.
2. Central route- This passed Tunis, Ghat, Ghamese, Kano, Gao and Hausa land.
3. Eastern route- This began in Tripol, Marzul and Bilma.
FACTORS THAT LED TO THE GROWTH OF THE TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE
The following are some of the factors that contributed to the growth of the Trans Saharan trade:
(i) Stability of the communities: Both North African and Western Sudan zone were politically stable. For example leaders like Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa collected taxes and established guides on trade routes. This enabled the people to conduct trade without fear. Up to the end of the 15th century AD many traders were motivated to come to Western Sudan for trade.
(ii) Western Sudan provided goods needed by traders from Europe. These goods included gold, ivory and slaves. Through trading Western Sudan exchanged her own commodities with goods from Western Europe and Asia. In turn, she got clothes, guns and other commodities. The surplus production in Western Sudan was adequate to sustain demand for products such as kolanuts and gold, hides, ivory slaves, whereas Taghaza produced enough salt to meet the needs in Western Sudan. The high production capacity in the region enhanced the growth of the Trans Saharan trade.
(iii) Honesty: The Berbers of North Africa and the African traders of Western Africa trusted each other. Traders brought in commodities without fear of theft and robbery, enabling the trade to flourish.
(iv) The use of camels for transport suited the desert conditions and facilitated the development of the Trans-saharan trade. These animals could not only carry more commodities than horses and human porters, but also endured desert conditions. Camels can survive without water for a longtime. This convenient means of transport strengthened the development of the Trans-saharan trade.
(v) Geographical location of the region: The location and climate favoured the production of kola nuts and other foodstuffs that were needed in the community, especially the forest region to the south. The region of Western Sudan had no impassable forests because many areas were covered by short grassland. This enabled traders to cross the desert without fear or any difficulty.
(vi) The invention of a medium of exchange contributed to the growth of the Trans Saharan trade. At the beginning, only the silent barter system of trade was practised. Later on, cowrie shells were introduced as a convenient medium of exchange. This in turn facilitated the development of the Trans-saharan trade.
(vii)From the nothern part,the Berbers provided capital to many traders who used to cross the sahara desert.
(viii)Removal of language barrier: This was attained after Arabic language became the trader’s medium of communication. This in turn facilitated the trade by making communication between the traders easy.
(ix) Absence of competition for trading activities in the region: There were no regular ships that visited the coast of West Africa. As a result, what was produced from the forest zone was peacefully transported to North Africa through the Saharan desert.
(x) Scarcity of commodities like gold and salt.
(xi )Introduction of horses, which were used in conquest and expansion.
Effects of the Trans Saharan Trade in Africa.
1. It led to the growth of empires like Ghana, Mali etc
2. It increased development of Agriculture.
3. It led to the introduction of Arabic Islamic religion cultures.
4. Formation of mixed races example half cast
5. Growth of town and cities eg Jenne, Timbukutu, Gao and Walata.
THE DECLINE OF THE TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE
By the second half of the nineteenth century, the volume of Trans-saharan trade started to decline. A number of obstacles or problems have been identified to explain the decline. These are:-
i) Strong desert winds: The traders could not withstand the hazards of sand storms. Many abandoned the trade as a result.
ii) Traders faced the danger of getting lost in the desert because the routes were not clear. Once traders got lost, they would wander in the desert for a long time and eventually die of thirst and starvation.
iii) Traders were subjected to attacks by desert robbers who made their living by stealing from trade caravans. In the process, traders lost their lives and goods. This discouraged traders from participating effectively in the trade.
iv)The extreme climatic conditions were unfavourable to traders. The heat and high temperatures during the day and every low temperatures at night due to the absence of cloud cover discouraged traders.
v) Traders faced the danger of highly poisonous desert creatures whose bites could result in death. These included snakes and scorpions.
vi) Traders faced language difficulties. This hampered communication during trade. As such “silent trade” had to be used initially.
vii) The development of the Trans-Atlantic rout across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe: commodities like ivory and slaves were transported quickly to the coast of West Africa from where they wer transported to Europe. Thus the trade routes shifted from the Saharan desert to the Atlantic. Instead of the direct route to the North, they went via the coast of West Africa.
viii) Commodities obtained from Western Sudan such as salt and gold faced competition from similar goods from other America cheaply. As result, the volume of Trans-saharan trade decreased because Western Sudan could no longer clain a monopoly in production of certain commodities like salt and gold. Also gold from Zimbabwe via Sofala port by the Portuguese ended up in Europe.
ix) The abolition of slave trade contributed to the decline of the Trans-saharan trade. Slaves were the main item of trade. When slave trade was abolished, trade started to decline.
x) Shortage of water also led to the decline in trade. The oases in the Saharan desert provided water seasonally but they sometimes dried up. This made it difficult for the traders to cross the Saharan desert.
xi) Wars: The war in Morocco and the one between Christians and Muslims disrupted the smooth running of the trade. The Moroccan invasion of western Sudan in 1591 AD disturbed the growth of the trade by taking gold at Wangara.
Finally, the Trans-saharan trade collapsed in the 16th century. From this period on wards, west Africa witnessed the expansion of European occupation on the coast of West Africa.
Trans Sahara trade was the trade conducted across the Sahara desert. It involved the people of Northern Africa and the people of Western Sudan. This trade started long time ago between 3000BC to 2000BC. It became important in the 1 st century AD after the people of West Africa to discover the use of camel and led to formation of many trade routes. The Trans Saharan trade was known as dumb trade because there was no common language which was used.
People who involved in the trade
1. West Africa
2. North Africa
3. Savannah Region
MOVEMENT OF TRADERS.
People (traders) organized themselves in groups known as CARAVANS
Goods involved in the trade
Kola nuts, gold, salt, food stuffs, Ivory, clothes, gold, bee-wax, slaves and ostrich feathers goods from West. And from North Africa salt and animal skin. Goods from Europe and Asia were cotton and silk cloth, swords, guns, metal pans, horses and Arabic books.
Trade routes :
1. Western route- From Sijilmasa, Fez in Morocco passed through Taghaza, Taodeni, Walata, Audaghost, and Kumbi Saleh to Timbuktu.
2. Central route- This passed Tunis, Ghat, Ghamese, Kano, Gao and Hausa land.
3. Eastern route- This began in Tripol, Marzul and Bilma.
FACTORS THAT LED TO THE GROWTH OF THE TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE
The following are some of the factors that contributed to the growth of the Trans Saharan trade:
(i) Stability of the communities: Both North African and Western Sudan zone were politically stable. For example leaders like Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa collected taxes and established guides on trade routes. This enabled the people to conduct trade without fear. Up to the end of the 15th century AD many traders were motivated to come to Western Sudan for trade.
(ii) Western Sudan provided goods needed by traders from Europe. These goods included gold, ivory and slaves. Through trading Western Sudan exchanged her own commodities with goods from Western Europe and Asia. In turn, she got clothes, guns and other commodities. The surplus production in Western Sudan was adequate to sustain demand for products such as kolanuts and gold, hides, ivory slaves, whereas Taghaza produced enough salt to meet the needs in Western Sudan. The high production capacity in the region enhanced the growth of the Trans Saharan trade.
(iii) Honesty: The Berbers of North Africa and the African traders of Western Africa trusted each other. Traders brought in commodities without fear of theft and robbery, enabling the trade to flourish.
(iv) The use of camels for transport suited the desert conditions and facilitated the development of the Trans-saharan trade. These animals could not only carry more commodities than horses and human porters, but also endured desert conditions. Camels can survive without water for a longtime. This convenient means of transport strengthened the development of the Trans-saharan trade.
(v) Geographical location of the region: The location and climate favoured the production of kola nuts and other foodstuffs that were needed in the community, especially the forest region to the south. The region of Western Sudan had no impassable forests because many areas were covered by short grassland. This enabled traders to cross the desert without fear or any difficulty.
(vi) The invention of a medium of exchange contributed to the growth of the Trans Saharan trade. At the beginning, only the silent barter system of trade was practised. Later on, cowrie shells were introduced as a convenient medium of exchange. This in turn facilitated the development of the Trans-saharan trade.
(vii)From the nothern part,the Berbers provided capital to many traders who used to cross the sahara desert.
(viii)Removal of language barrier: This was attained after Arabic language became the trader’s medium of communication. This in turn facilitated the trade by making communication between the traders easy.
(ix) Absence of competition for trading activities in the region: There were no regular ships that visited the coast of West Africa. As a result, what was produced from the forest zone was peacefully transported to North Africa through the Saharan desert.
(x) Scarcity of commodities like gold and salt.
(xi )Introduction of horses, which were used in conquest and expansion.
Effects of the Trans Saharan Trade in Africa.
1. It led to the growth of empires like Ghana, Mali etc
2. It increased development of Agriculture.
3. It led to the introduction of Arabic Islamic religion cultures.
4. Formation of mixed races example half cast
5. Growth of town and cities eg Jenne, Timbukutu, Gao and Walata.
THE DECLINE OF THE TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE
By the second half of the nineteenth century, the volume of Trans-saharan trade started to decline. A number of obstacles or problems have been identified to explain the decline. These are:-
i) Strong desert winds: The traders could not withstand the hazards of sand storms. Many abandoned the trade as a result.
ii) Traders faced the danger of getting lost in the desert because the routes were not clear. Once traders got lost, they would wander in the desert for a long time and eventually die of thirst and starvation.
iii) Traders were subjected to attacks by desert robbers who made their living by stealing from trade caravans. In the process, traders lost their lives and goods. This discouraged traders from participating effectively in the trade.
iv)The extreme climatic conditions were unfavourable to traders. The heat and high temperatures during the day and every low temperatures at night due to the absence of cloud cover discouraged traders.
v) Traders faced the danger of highly poisonous desert creatures whose bites could result in death. These included snakes and scorpions.
vi) Traders faced language difficulties. This hampered communication during trade. As such “silent trade” had to be used initially.
vii) The development of the Trans-Atlantic rout across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe: commodities like ivory and slaves were transported quickly to the coast of West Africa from where they wer transported to Europe. Thus the trade routes shifted from the Saharan desert to the Atlantic. Instead of the direct route to the North, they went via the coast of West Africa.
viii) Commodities obtained from Western Sudan such as salt and gold faced competition from similar goods from other America cheaply. As result, the volume of Trans-saharan trade decreased because Western Sudan could no longer clain a monopoly in production of certain commodities like salt and gold. Also gold from Zimbabwe via Sofala port by the Portuguese ended up in Europe.
ix) The abolition of slave trade contributed to the decline of the Trans-saharan trade. Slaves were the main item of trade. When slave trade was abolished, trade started to decline.
x) Shortage of water also led to the decline in trade. The oases in the Saharan desert provided water seasonally but they sometimes dried up. This made it difficult for the traders to cross the Saharan desert.
xi) Wars: The war in Morocco and the one between Christians and Muslims disrupted the smooth running of the trade. The Moroccan invasion of western Sudan in 1591 AD disturbed the growth of the trade by taking gold at Wangara.
Finally, the Trans-saharan trade collapsed in the 16th century. From this period on wards, west Africa witnessed the expansion of European occupation on the coast of West Africa.
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