Perhaps the most influential kingdom linked to the ancient trade routes of Africa was that of Mali. Port cities, trading towns & empires wouldn't have existed without these routes.

The trade connection of W. Africa & the Mediterranean world is a rich one & this is its history🧵 One of the major elements in the creation of trade networks is geography. Where the geographical barrier between different climate zones & locations is as extensive & as large as the Sahara desert then a network of trade routes have to be developed to enable the exchange of goods

The Silk Road, which we've covered before, might be the most famous ancient trade route but #didyouknow that several others existed?

These ancient systems of globalization connected places of production to those of commerce. From Africa to Asia, this is a thread of 8 such routes 1. The Trans-Saharan Trade Route

The route stretched from N. Africa to W. Africa & was made up of many routes which crisscrossed via the desert. They first emerged in 300 CE.

By the 1100s, camel caravans (thousands of camels) would carry gold, salt & cloth along the routes.