The Trans-Saharan Trade was a network of trade routes that connected the economies of sub-Saharan West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean world.

This trade was made possible by the use of the domesticated camel, which could endure the harsh desert conditions.

The two most important commodities traded were gold from West Africa and salt from the Sahara Desert.

Salt was a crucial preservative and a vital nutrient, making it as valuable as gold in some parts of West Africa.

The control of this trade led to the rise of a series of powerful and wealthy West African empires, including Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

The city of Timbuktu, on the edge of the Sahara, became a major center of trade, wealth, and Islamic scholarship.

The ruler of the Mali Empire, Mansa Musa, became one of the richest people in history due to his control of the gold trade.

Islam was spread from North Africa into West Africa by Berber merchants along these trade routes.

Other goods traded included slaves, ivory, kola nuts, and manufactured goods.

The Trans-Saharan trade routes began to decline with the arrival of European ships along the West African coast in the 15th century.