AMSCO 2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes Notes
1 min read•october 3, 2023
📍Topic 2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
📖 AMSCO p.103 - p.110
Main Idea
Key Timeline
Image Courtesy of Grace
Things to Know
Use of Camels
- Camels were used in place of horses to travel across the desert
- Camels used specially developed saddles to carry up to 600 pounds worth of goods
Things Traded Across the Desert
- gold
- ivory
- enslaved people
- salt🧂
- textiles
- horses 🐴
- religion (Islam)
Kingdoms Involved With Trade
- Abbasid Caliphate
- The Abbasids helped propel Trans-saharan Trade by connecting the Mediterranean region with West Africa
- Baghdad - capital of the Abbasid Caliphate - major center of commerce and spreading of religion (particularly Islam)
- Ghana
- brought the kingdom great wealth 💰
- place for trade between Muslim merchants
- would tax the gold and salt that came through their borders to make money
- Ghana → Mali
- Wars from neighboring states weakened Ghana
- Changes in existing Trans-Saharan trade routes were unfavorable to Ghana and weakened Ghana’s economic power
- Mali rises to power
Mali
- Renowned Cities
- Timbuktu - center for Islamic learning, a center for Muslim life
- Gao
- cowry shells were used as a form of currency
- city visited by Ibn Battuta, famous traveler
- one of the wealthiest cities in Mali
- Rulers
- Sundiata
- founding ruler of Mali
- reclaimed Mali in 1235
- after his family was murdered, he became a capable and fierce warrior
- maintained connections with North African & Arab merchants
- Mansa Musa
- famous for his extravagant, showy pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that showed off Mali’s wealth
- camels for transport 🐪
- gold for distribution
- enslaved peoples to host his journey
- famous for his devotion to religion (he was Muslim)
- developed buildings to support religious learning in Mali after his pilgrimage
- famous for his extravagant, showy pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that showed off Mali’s wealth
- Sundiata
Mali → Songhai Kingdom
- in the 1400s, the Songhai Kingdom gains power
- Achieves more prosperity than Mali
- Timbuktu and Gao remain impressive cities and major trade routes that attract North African & Arab merchants
- Songhai Kingdom embraces Islam. This helps with trade because many merchants from North Africa and the Middle East also practice Islam.
- Decline of the Songhai Kingdom in the 16th century leads to a disruption of Trans-Saharan trade.
Terms to Remember
| Term | Definition + Significance |
| Caravans | mobile homes that provide shelters for merchants; Muslim merchants used caravans to cross the Sahara desert and hold goods |
| Trans-Saharan Trade | trade where merchants cross the Sahara desert; west-African traders meeting with foreign merchants |
| Pilgrimage | a trip, usually taken for religious purposes, to sacred destinations; notable for Mansa Musa’s famed pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, where he displayed Mali’s wealth |
| Sorghum | a grain crop typically grown in hot, arid climates; much of Mali’s population were sorghum farmers |
| Camel saddles | harnesses developed to provide ease for the rider of the camel; the Somalis developed a saddle that could hold up to 600 pounds to facilitate trade of lots of goods |
AMSCO 2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes Notes
1 min read•october 3, 2023
📍Topic 2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
📖 AMSCO p.103 - p.110
Main Idea
Key Timeline
Image Courtesy of Grace
Things to Know
Use of Camels
- Camels were used in place of horses to travel across the desert
- Camels used specially developed saddles to carry up to 600 pounds worth of goods
Things Traded Across the Desert
- gold
- ivory
- enslaved people
- salt🧂
- textiles
- horses 🐴
- religion (Islam)
Kingdoms Involved With Trade
- Abbasid Caliphate
- The Abbasids helped propel Trans-saharan Trade by connecting the Mediterranean region with West Africa
- Baghdad - capital of the Abbasid Caliphate - major center of commerce and spreading of religion (particularly Islam)
- Ghana
- brought the kingdom great wealth 💰
- place for trade between Muslim merchants
- would tax the gold and salt that came through their borders to make money
- Ghana → Mali
- Wars from neighboring states weakened Ghana
- Changes in existing Trans-Saharan trade routes were unfavorable to Ghana and weakened Ghana’s economic power
- Mali rises to power
Mali
- Renowned Cities
- Timbuktu - center for Islamic learning, a center for Muslim life
- Gao
- cowry shells were used as a form of currency
- city visited by Ibn Battuta, famous traveler
- one of the wealthiest cities in Mali
- Rulers
- Sundiata
- founding ruler of Mali
- reclaimed Mali in 1235
- after his family was murdered, he became a capable and fierce warrior
- maintained connections with North African & Arab merchants
- Mansa Musa
- famous for his extravagant, showy pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that showed off Mali’s wealth
- camels for transport 🐪
- gold for distribution
- enslaved peoples to host his journey
- famous for his devotion to religion (he was Muslim)
- developed buildings to support religious learning in Mali after his pilgrimage
- famous for his extravagant, showy pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that showed off Mali’s wealth
- Sundiata
Mali → Songhai Kingdom
- in the 1400s, the Songhai Kingdom gains power
- Achieves more prosperity than Mali
- Timbuktu and Gao remain impressive cities and major trade routes that attract North African & Arab merchants
- Songhai Kingdom embraces Islam. This helps with trade because many merchants from North Africa and the Middle East also practice Islam.
- Decline of the Songhai Kingdom in the 16th century leads to a disruption of Trans-Saharan trade.
Terms to Remember
| Term | Definition + Significance |
| Caravans | mobile homes that provide shelters for merchants; Muslim merchants used caravans to cross the Sahara desert and hold goods |
| Trans-Saharan Trade | trade where merchants cross the Sahara desert; west-African traders meeting with foreign merchants |
| Pilgrimage | a trip, usually taken for religious purposes, to sacred destinations; notable for Mansa Musa’s famed pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, where he displayed Mali’s wealth |
| Sorghum | a grain crop typically grown in hot, arid climates; much of Mali’s population were sorghum farmers |
| Camel saddles | harnesses developed to provide ease for the rider of the camel; the Somalis developed a saddle that could hold up to 600 pounds to facilitate trade of lots of goods |
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