What was the importance of the gold and salt trade in Africa?

The people who lived in the desert of North Africa could easily mine salt, but not gold. They craved the precious metal that would add so much to their personal splendor and prestige. These mutual needs led to the establishment of long-distance trade routes that connected very different cultures.

Why did Africans trade gold for salt in Africa?

Gold from Mali and other West African states was traded north to the Mediterranean, in exchange for luxury goods and, ultimately, salt from the desert. The merchants for these routes were often Berbers, who had extensive knowledge of how to navigate through the desert.

When was the gold-salt trade in Africa?

Around the fifth century, thanks to the availability of the camel, Berber-speaking people began crossing the Sahara Desert. From the eighth century onward, annual trade caravans followed routes later described by Arabic authors with minute attention to detail.

Where did the gold and salt trade originate?

The Gold-Salt Trade The route began in Northern Africa in a commercial city known as Sidjilmassa ( near the present-day Moroccan-Algerian border). It passed through the salt-rich village of Taghaza, through the Sahara and finally to the gold region of the Ghana Empire known as Wangara.

Is the African gold-salt trade still used today?

Even today, the salt trade continues, although the deposits are running out and the salt merchants can no longer command gold dust in exchange. Saharan salt from Taoudenni is still transported by Tuareg camel caravans, the still-90-kilo slabs now ultimately destined for the refineries of Bamako in Mali.

Who started the gold and salt trade?

Many items were traded between North Africa and West Africa, but the two goods that were most in demand were gold and salt. The North Africans wanted gold, which came from the forest region south of Ghana. The people in the forests wanted salt, which came from the Sahara.

Why was gold so valuable in Africa?

Ghana itself was rich in ​gold​. People wanted gold for its beauty, but they needed salt in their diets to survive. Salt, which could be used to preserve food, also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable.

Why was salt so valuable in Africa?

To the north lay the vast Sahara, the source of much of the ​salt​. People wanted gold for its beauty, but they needed salt in their diets to survive. Salt, which could be used to preserve food, also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable.

Is salt more valuable than gold?

Recorded history also soundly refutes the myth that salt was more valuable than gold. YouTube historian Lindybeige cites Venetian trade documents from the height of the salt trade in 1590 that establish the value of 1 ton of salt as 33 gold ducats.

Is salt worth its weight in gold?

The most common exchange was salt for gold dust that came from the mines of southern West Africa. Indeed, salt was such a precious commodity that it was quite literally worth its weight in gold in some parts of West Africa.

Why was salt so valuable in ancient times?

Salt was essential in preserving foods such as meat, fish, and vegetables. Without it, one’s diet would pretty much be limited to just bread and whatever could be caught or picked that particular day. So for settled peoples, it was very widely used and necessary. Salt had to be mined like any other mineral.

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.

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.

What are kingdoms traded salt in Africa?

The Kingdom of Mali came to control the gold trade that the Kingdom of Ghana had controlled before it, but it also expanded its trading in many ways. The Kingdom of Mali controlled the salt trade in the north and many caravan trade routes. Additionally, it traded extensively with Egypt and the copper mine areas to the east.

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 was gold and salt important to West Africa?

Salt is important in our diet, and also to preserve foods, to disinfect wounds, and to make food taste better. Why were gold and salt important in West African trade? The most common commodity that gold was used to purchase was salt, a mineral that was always in great demand in order to better preserve dried meat and to give added taste to food.