Salt trade
The exchange of salt from Saharan production centers to West African markets, where it was essential for food preservation, nutrition, and commerce.
Trans-Saharan trade: A network of commercial routes linking North Africa and the Mediterranean with sub-Saharan Africa across the Sahara. Salt moved south through the same caravan networks that carried gold and other goods.
Salt: A mineral compound, chiefly sodium chloride, used in food, industry, and chemical production. The traded commodity was prized for its uses and scarcity in many inland regions.
Awlil: A historic salt-producing site near the Atlantic coast of present-day Mauritania. Its salt supported early trade between Saharan communities and the western Sahel.
Timbuktu market: A commercial marketplace in Timbuktu where goods from the Sahara and West Africa were exchanged. Salt slabs arriving by caravan were sold or redistributed there.
Trans-Saharan slave trade: The movement and sale of enslaved people across the Sahara over many centuries. Salt traveled through commercial networks that also carried enslaved people, though the trades were distinct.
Taghaza: A medieval Saharan settlement and salt-mining center in present-day Mali. Its mined slabs supplied markets south of the desert.
Sodium chloride: The ionic compound NaCl, commonly known as table salt and found in seawater and mineral deposits. It is the principal substance in the salt slabs transported across the Sahara.
Ghana Empire: A medieval West African state that flourished north of the gold-producing regions of the forest belt. Its rulers and merchants benefited from commerce connecting Saharan salt with southern gold.
Djenne: A historic city in central Mali, situated near the Niger and Bani rivers and known for regional commerce. Its river-linked markets connected inland consumers with Saharan salt.
Islam in West Africa: The history and practice of Islam among West African societies, shaped by trade, scholarship, and political change. Caravan commerce helped connect West African cities with Muslim North Africa.