Trans-Saharan trade routes : routes of cross-cultural exchange

Between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, trade flourished between sub-Saharan Africa and Arab cultures. Traders exchanged gold, slaves, cloth, and salt along the trans-Saharan routes. This trade was directly responsible for seismic shifts in African economies and the foundation of new empires. This book explores how this complex trade network shaped the history of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, trade flourished between sub-Saharan Africa and Arab cultures. Traders exchanged gold, slaves, cloth, and salt along the trans-Saharan routes. This trade was directly responsible for seismic shifts in African economies and the foundation of new empires. Trans-Saharan Trade Routes explores how this complex trade network shaped the history of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Introduction: The desert highway -- The Sahara as a barrier -- Establishing the trade routes -- Salt, slaves, and gold -- The major players -- The effects of the trans-Saharan trade routes -- The end of the trans-Saharan trade routes