Trans - Saharan trade route : 8 trade routes that shaped World History by Arnetta Trukhachev

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:06:35 UTC

Goods such as gold, salt, cloth and enslaved people were traded along the Trans-Saharan trade route although some objects such as ostrich feather and European guns were traded along the route as well. Gold and Salt were important item traded along the Trans-Saharan trade route because of its high value across the whole world and Salt’s ability to be able to preserve food for long periods of time making it vital so that people can be able to have fresh food. As well as enslaved people were captured in Sub-Saharan Africa then brought to the north where they were sold to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations, which allowed African rulers to get loads of money making them wealthier.

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:09:31 UTC

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at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:12:57 UTC

Ideas that were traded along the Trans-Saharan trade Route where the spread of Islam, and with Islam came Arabic knowledge, art, education and language. Even the theory of bacteria was spread there, which now helps us in daily life and in the medical field. To the north of the Sahara, powerful Islamic empires and Muslim merchants united smaller communities of Afro-Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in a single trading system. When West Africans converted to Islam, this system expanded to the trans-Saharan trade. Which expanded Islam and made it more popular. As well as they encouraged the development of monetary systems and state-building.

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:13:38 UTC

Local rulers benefitted from the Trans-Saharan trade by gaining large swaths of land and keeping their commodities under control. In addition, Europeans benefited by receiving valuable African goods and making their perilous desert routes less attractive when wealth moved from inland to coastal areas.

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:13:55 UTC

In the 16^th century, the Europeans began to see the value in African goods. The Africans were enslaved, harmed and caused death. Which caused the trade route to be overshadowed by the European-controlled transatlantic trade, and the wealth moved from inland to coastal areas. Making the desert routes less attractive and interesting. Which harmed the trade route.

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:14:15 UTC

The Portuguese empire is a maritime empire, and the Mali empire is a land-based empire. The Portuguese empire oversaw ships and the transportation of goods which helped get goods from all over and the Mali empire oversaw gold and salt mines which helped produce the goods the Trans-Saharan trade traded.

at1663 — 2025-09-17 18:15:50 UTC

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at1663 — 2025-09-18 18:24:32 UTC

at1663 — 2025-09-18 18:26:03 UTC