1st century BCE – 10th century
Central Sahara to the western Sudan
This caravan route ran from Ghadames and Djerma through Ghāt, Tassili-des-Ajjers, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas to Es-Souq, identified in the pages with Tadmekka. Roman material, including coins, found along its northern section indicates commercial links with Roman North Africa, although the volume of trade was considered limited.
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The Story
One Saharan route described on these pages began at Ghadames and Djerma and continued southward through Ghāt, Tassili-des-Ajjers, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas. Its destination was Es-Souq, identified here with Tadmekka. The sequence of named stations presents a corridor crossing the central Sahara toward the western Sudan.
Archaeological discoveries along the northern part of the route provide evidence of contact with Roman North Africa. The reported Roman material included coins, suggesting that goods or people moved through the corridor and that the route belonged to a wider network of commercial exchange. The volume of trade, however, was necessarily limited.
The route should therefore be understood as an early and relatively restricted trans-Saharan connection rather than as a fully documented high-volume commercial road. Its importance lies in the geographical bridge it represents between Garamantian and Roman-linked zones in the north and the Sudanic world farther south.
1st century BCE – 10th century
Central Sahara to the western Sudan
This caravan route ran from Ghadames and Djerma through Ghāt, Tassili-des-Ajjers, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas to Es-Souq, identified in the pages with Tadmekka. Roman material, including coins, found along its northern section indicates commercial links with Roman North Africa, although the volume of trade was considered limited.
Continue exploring
The Story
One Saharan route described on these pages began at Ghadames and Djerma and continued southward through Ghāt, Tassili-des-Ajjers, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas. Its destination was Es-Souq, identified here with Tadmekka. The sequence of named stations presents a corridor crossing the central Sahara toward the western Sudan.
Archaeological discoveries along the northern part of the route provide evidence of contact with Roman North Africa. The reported Roman material included coins, suggesting that goods or people moved through the corridor and that the route belonged to a wider network of commercial exchange. The volume of trade, however, was necessarily limited.
The route should therefore be understood as an early and relatively restricted trans-Saharan connection rather than as a fully documented high-volume commercial road. Its importance lies in the geographical bridge it represents between Garamantian and Roman-linked zones in the north and the Sudanic world farther south.