Trans-Saharan trade refers to trade between North Africa and the rest of Africa that required travel across the Sahara desert. Though the trade began in prehistoric times, its peak extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a different climate and environment: in what is now Libya and Algeria, pastoralism, large settlements and pottery were present from at least 7000 BCE, and cattle were introduced to the central Sahara, in the Ahaggar region, between 4000 and 3500 BCE, a history attested by rock paintings in now-arid regions portraying flora and fauna absent from the modern desert.
Facts
Route TypeAncient overland caravan trade route network 1 TerminiNorth Africa and sub-Saharan West Africa, across the Sahara Desert 1 Operational StatusHistoric, the north-south routes were severed by national boundaries after the 1960s wave of independence 1 Partially Attested
Length (km)The cited 2,400 km figure describes one well documented seasonal Tuareg caravan crossing of the Sahara. The trans-Saharan trade comprised many parallel and shifting routes across the desert, with no single official route length stated in the source consulted. Operational Status
Operational Status (category)Historic / Discontinued 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Trans-Saharan trade
WikipediaDecline section, on the severance of the routes by national boundaries after the 1960sQuote, Decline section, on the severance of the routes by national boundaries after the 1960s
With the independence of nations in the region in the 1960s, the north-south routes were severed by national boundaries.
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