Table of Contents
Who started the gold and salt trade?
The answer came from the nomads of the desert, the Berber people, who had long been crossing this route. With time, the Berbers would connect these two different spheres of Africa. However, they did not arrive as mere middlemen. The Berbers had access to some of the great salt deposits of the ancient world.
When did the gold and salt trade start?
The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th Century) Around the fifth century, thanks to the availability of the camel, Berber-speaking people began crossing the Sahara Desert.
How did the gold and salt trade develop?
Why did the gold-salt trade develop between West Africa and North Africa? The trade began due to a surplus of each product per area. Gold was plentiful in West Africa so traders sent the item to North Africa so they too could have the valuable mineral. In return, North Africans gave salt to West Africa.
Why was salt worth its weight in gold?
Salt was necessary for maintaining life, but it was in short supply in the forests of West Africa. Salt became worth its weight in gold. And since gold was so abundant Abundant (adjective) : existing or available in large quantities 7 in the kingdom, Ghana achieved much of its wealth through trade with the Arabs.
Why was salt valuable as gold?
The historian explains that, going by trade documents from Venice in 1590, you could purchase a ton of salt for 33 gold ducats (ton the unit of measure, not the hyperbolic large quantity). The fact is that it was actually salt trade that held more worth than the gold industry.
What did African trade for salt?
Camel caravans from North Africa carried bars of salt as well as cloth, tobacco, and metal tools across the Sahara to trading centers like Djenne and Timbuktu on the Niger River. Some items for which the salt was traded include gold, ivory, slaves, skins, kola nuts, pepper, and sugar .
Why did Mali trade gold for salt?
All of the things that Mali traded gold for helped them stay very wealthy. The main thing that they would import was salt. They would use it for many things. Since salt was very abundant in the North of Mali, but they did not have much themselves, they would have to import it, and they could do so easily.
Where did the gold salt trade take place?
The gold-salt trade developed between West Africa and North Africa since in North Africa, gold was traded with West Africans who received salt, and on the other hand, North Africa also received gold. In exchange, they traded both commodities.
What is gold salt trade route?
The Old Salt Route was a medieval trade route in northern Germany, one of the ancient network of salt roads which were used primarily for the transport of salt and other staples. In Germany it was referred to as Alte Salzstraße. Salt was very valuable at that time; it was sometimes referred to as “white gold.”.