The Trans-Saharan Trade Network Changed Northern And Western Africa

One of the most prominent effects of the cross cultural interaction was the Afro Eurasian Trade Network which helped increase revenue. The trade routes that were part of this network were the Mediterranean Sea Maritime Trade Route, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade Route, Eurasian Silk Road and the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes. The increase in trade resulted in the emergence of major cities such as Timbuktu, Jenne, Mogadishu, Mombasa and other Swahili city states. Another reason for the flourish of trade was the invention of new technologies such as caravans for traveling and the trading of luxury goods such as silk, cotton and porcelain. The dawn of new kingdoms such as Mali, Songhay and Sudan contributed to this effect as well. The spread of Islam resulted in

“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;

of miles off their travel distance around Africa, bringing a great wealth of trade from Asia that

Africa, like many other continents, was a very tremendous and a very diverse civilization that is very complicated to introduce due to all its wonderful but also diverse features and beliefs. From the differences between its society and language to its religion and politics, Africa always had the reputation that its empires, cities, and kingdoms never progressed in the developments and achievements for their civilization. Many people believed that the Europeans were actually the cause of Africa’s achievements and advanced developments for their civilizations. However, this is further than the whole truth. Before the arrival of the Europeans between the 15th and 16th century, African kingdoms, empires, and cities had many achievements and accomplishments

Even though these aspects describe the ways that change occurred with trade between Afro-Eurasia, one important part did stay the same. North Africa was consistent and always a key part of trade between the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 300, North Africa was the only area that traded with the Mediterranean. In the time of the gold-salt trade, European venders and Islamic merchants arrived in North Africa. North African merchants still traded even when Europeans started to shift the balance of trade to the Americas starting from the mid-1400s. This is how trade systems between Africa and Europe stayed the same between the years 300-1450.

Tribal groups such as the Berbers had much outer influence from invading Muslim Arabs, settling Spanish Jews and Muslims, and the sub-Saharan peoples who traded across the Sahara desert. Another group of African people known as the Swahili also had many outside contacts through their commercial contacts such as India, the Persian Gulf, the Malay Archipelago, Southern Arabia, and China. Each new culture that African society came in contact with changed and shaped their way of life and altered the course of their history.

Changes in political and cultural traditions during the post-classical period occurred in Africa because of intensive Islamic contact. When Arab conquerors introduced the Islamic faith into northern Africa, they expanded the region of commerce. Muslim merchants established trading centers for copper, iron, salts, and cotton textiles. The newly established trade affected traditional social and religious beliefs. After 1000 C.E., the kin-based social structure experienced difficult challenges. Increased conflict between peoples led to the creation of military forces for both offensive and defensive use. This led to the formation of chiefdoms exhibiting more formal structures of governing such as in the kingdoms of Kongo, Ghana, and Mali. Because most traders were Muslim, many African societies converted to Islam to improve their relations with the

Over the course of 200 BCE to 1450 CE, trade networks have continuously spread religions while changing how the civilizations traded for their goods and what types of goods they traded.

“ Parts of sub-Saharan Africa were divided among small states or chiefdom's with iron tools.” “While Aboriginal Australians and many Native Americans remained hunter-gatherers, most of Eurasia and much of the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa gradually developed agriculture, herding, metallurgy, and complex political organization. “ Therefore, the European Imperialists have not only impacted the Caribbean, Aztec and Inca Empires and North America, Africa was also impacted

The Malian Trade Routes and the Impact on West Africa Through the Spread of Islam Along These Routes

The Trans-Saharan trade remained a constant source of wealth and ultimately enabled the spread of ideas, thus strengthening the West African kingdoms. The trade route was established due to mutual needs of different resources, but also brought knowledge to the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai. Mansa Musa, one of Mali’s greatest ever king, gained full control of the Trans-Saharan trade route and implemented tax towards it, which was a valuable source of income for Mali (Hamilton 4). The wealth was used to create an army, that eventually conquered neighboring areas and expanded Mali’s territory. While in Songhai, they managed to import a large number of slaves through the Trans-Saharan trade route, which was significant for their economy, as they produced an abundance of rice (Mckay 523). The large supply of rice nourished the Songhai citizens and therefore created a healthy society, which played a big part towards establishing Songhai’s dominance in the region. Not only does the Trans-Saharan trade route brought wealth to the West African kingdoms, it also brought knowledge to Mali and Songhai through a trade in books, which contains information on subjects such as astronomy, accounting, and poetry (Wonders of the African World). Those manuscripts first derived during the Mali empire and are preserved through the Songhai empire and until nowadays in Timbuktu, and as a result, the citizens of Mali and Songhai were very well educated, which helped contribute to the success of both kingdoms’ administration.

For 300 years, Africa participated in the Atlantic slave trade, providing humans in exchange for other goods. During that 300 years, some twelve million Africans were transported to the Americas. This mass, forced migration had many consequences for Africa, in many aspects of its history. In World History classes—both high school and college— these consequences for Africa are usually omitted, and a more Eurocentric view of the Atlantic slave trade dominates. Because of this, many are not aware of the impacts of the slave trade on African societies. This paper aims to remedy this, by presenting the major impacts that Trans-Atlantic Slave trade had on the social and political history of Western Africa. By focusing on Western Africa, this

(Part 4) Adds to the history of African civilizations, early trade with Roman and Egypt with the sub-Saharan region in the first century. Ethiopia was the first indigenous state of the sub-Saharan, and traded over the Red Sea. Aksum was the first prominent city-state. The traffic of gold began by Arabs on the East African coast set up a troublesome dynamic to the region.

On the other side of the world, trade significantly influenced the course of history in West Africa (A). All the wealth made through trade was used to build larger kingdoms and empires and to protect their trade interests, these kingdoms built strong armies. Kingdoms that desired more control of the trade also developed strong armies to expand their kingdoms and protect them from their competition. Long distance trade helped the local economy and also supported internal trade because

Long distance trades played a major role in economic, cultural and religious exchanges that took place between major civilizations in Europe, Africa and Asia during the pre-modern period. Chinese, West Asian and Indian societies were the first ones to develop major transportation networks. A few examples of such important trade routes are The Silk Route, The Trans-Saharan Caravan Trade in Africa and the maritime Spice Route.