The Mali Empire and Their Trans-Sahara Trade Routes

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Because of the different geography and varying types of resources, the southern part of Africa would have provided an abundance of differing types of products from that of the north where the Mali Empire was. It is certain they had some contact with South Africa but for some reason there was no major trade between them. Contrary to this, the trade routes the Mali had were substantial enough to make them a formidable Empire (Janet Goldner, 2016).

The North/South routes of the Mali Empire were the ones which went from northern coast of Africa south to the Mali Empire; they did not extend into the South Africa region. This is to merely explain what is meant by “North/South routes so there is no confusion. The Mali North/South routes were not as long as their West/East routes, however they were just as significant as their West/East counterparts (Janet Goldner, 2016).

The gold obtained from the goldfields of Bambuk would be transported over the Augaghost route which traveled to Marrakesh and Fez in Morocco. From the Mali gold fields of Bure, their merchants would travel from there to Timbuktu. Another major Mali route from the Bure gold fields was from Algiers on to Wargata which is located in Salah, and made its way on to Timbuktu (British Museum, 2016).

The two main Mali routes which traveled West/East were from Timbuktu and Gao and would travel on to Egypt. At one point this route split and one branch went through the cities of Takedda, Ghat, and Fezzan, then on to Cairo. The Mecca Road, often called the Gao was the second main route which traveled East/West. The Mecca road is the route which was preferred to be used by Muslims from West Africa traveling on their Mecca pilgrimages (Janet Goldner, 2016).

The typical caravan usually consisted of about a thousand camels. It would start on its journey, for example in Sijilmasa loaded down with salt obtained from Taghaza. It would also be transporting different cargo such as foods, cloths, and perfumes, as well as other minor goods procured from Maghrib. The caravan would then stop in Wadan, which was an oasis near the nation of present day Mauritania. Here in Mauritania, some of the goods would be sold to acquire other local goods, before the caravan moved on to Walata, or it could go to Tichitt. Tichitt was at the southern border of the Sahara. The journey would end when the caravan would arrive in Timbuktu (British Museum, 2016).

In Timbuktu, the goods would be loaded on to canoes to Niani or sometimes Djenne’. This is where salt would be processed into much smaller, more manageable pieces to be carried through the forested areas. Since there was more foliage for them to eat, sometimes donkeys were used on this This Mali route for transporting the goods. The salt and other goods would then arrive in Dyula-Wangara and the long journey was complete. The merchants would then trade the salt and other goods for the gold extracted from the forest mines. They would also obtain things such as animal hides, koala nuts and other viable commodities (Pinch, V., 2003).

After trading for gold and the other products of the forest, the caravan would then return to Timbuktu. For the return trip, the caravan would usually consist of fewer than five hundred camels. This was fewer than half of the camels in the initially caravan. This was because the goods from the forest region were less bulky than the goods which were brought into that area. Even with the gold the goods were much lighter on the return trips. This was because of the huge amounts of block salt transported into the gold regions (Janet Goldner, 2016).

Along with gold and salt, the Mali relied on the trade of cloth, animal hides, shea butter and kola nuts. The shea butter was used in cooking, making soap, and for lamp oil. At one point, kola nuts became a major source of income for the Mali. The traders of Dyula-Wnagara would transport the Kola nuts from the forest areas to the plains of the savannah in Sahel. They would carry them in pouches filled with wet leaves in order to maintain their freshness. The kola nuts were such a prized commodity they were often used in ceremonies and rituals. They would also be used by rulers to be given as special gifts to another ruler to signify the importance of their visit. The kola nuts were often used as a stimulant by the Mali, and it would often become an addiction to the more affluent members of their society (Pinch, V., 2003).

After the Europeans arrived in the region, the trade routes took a dramatic shift. The gold routes as well as the salt routes went south from Niani down to Worodugu, on to Cote d’ivoire, to Gambia Valley, and to the Atlantic coast. From there it would then travel on to the Elimina fortress built by the Portuguese, and from there it was distributed to other European trading outposts. This is where the paper concludes since the focus is on pre-colonial period; however, it was included to show the impact the arrival of Europeans in Africa had on the trade there. This marked the decline of the Mali Empire (British Museum, 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper looked at how the Trans-Saharan trade routes of the Mali Empire were associated with the success of the Empire prior to the arrival of Europeans. This was an interesting period between the fifth and the nineteenth centuries and it gives an idea of the expanse of the Mali trade network which existed before outside influences.

The importance of certain goods was addressed. Although all of the goods were important to the Mali Empire, there were several which were the main drivers of their economy; such as gold, kola nuts, and salt. These commodities were much sought after and made the Mali Empire what it had become. The kola nuts had a certain effect on people and they often became an addiction to the more affluent Mali citizens.

Camels were vital to the success of the caravans and therefore the wealth of the Mali Empire. The donkey was also utilized in certain areas where there was an abundance of foliage for them to graze on. It took twice as many camels on a caravan when carrying bulkier loads like salt than the return trip with kola nuts and gold as the cargo. Salt was a commodity in great demand by the Mali as it was used for a multitude of purposes such as seasoning food, curing meats, and even used in burial preparations of the deceased person’s body.

The main Mali Trans-Saharan routes traveled in North/South and East/West directions. They were the essential part to making the Mali Empire so great and powerful. They realized the importance of controlling these routes and made concerted efforts in maintaining their control over them. The Mali Empire owned its existence as a major power