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Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Teacher Resources

Driving Question: What factors fueled the expansion of Trans-Saharan trade, and how did its growth reshape African societies?

From 1200 to 1450 CE, an extensive network of trade routes, merchants, and pastoralists connected the communities within and surrounding the Sahara Desert. Pastoralists mastered camel riding, allowing them to create trading caravans to transport goods from West Africa to the Mediterranean. Salt, gold, and enslaved people were all transported along these routes. This trade also further encouraged the spread of technology and Islam through the region.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Explain the causes and effects of the growth of trans-Saharan trade.
  2. Examine the intellectual, cultural, and environmental effects of networks of exchange such as the Trans-Saharan trade network.

Vocab Terms:

  • caravan
  • empire
  • indigenous
  • pastoral
  • trade network
STEP 1

Opener: Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

STEP 2

Across an Ocean of Sand: Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Imagine having to cross a desert to do business. What are some of the obstacles you might face? They might be similar to the challenges of people circa 1200!

STEP 3

SAQ Practice: Unit 2

STEP 4

Comparison: Networks of Exchange

Ever wonder how your online shopping habits connect to history? Compare trade networks to see how people moved goods and ideas and how they laid the groundwork for today’s global economy.

STEP 5

Closer: Trans-Saharan Trade Routes