13th century – 15th century
Western Sudan, Sahara, Egypt
The Mali–Egypt trade route connected the western Sudan with Egypt through Saharan and oasis corridors. Gold from Mali reached Egypt by way of Gao and, in some accounts, through routes involving the Air, Tibesti, and the oases of Kharga and Dakhla. The route was revived or intensified between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries and was reinforced by the pilgrimage and diplomatic contacts of Mali’s rulers.
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The Story
Trade between the western Sudan and Egypt followed more than one Saharan corridor. An older route from Ghana passed through Gao, Air, Tibesti, and the Egyptian oases of Kharga and Dakhla, and although it was reportedly abandoned in the ninth century, the route appears to have been revived in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Other connections ran from Upper Egypt through the oases and desert toward Mali.
Gold formed one of the principal commodities moving northward. Part of Mali’s gold reached Egypt by way of Gao, while accounts also describe active commerce involving al-Wahat and Manfalut. Egyptian traders visited the towns of Mali, and by the middle of the fifteenth century Egyptian merchants were meeting Sudanese traders at Tuat, extending the commercial system through the central Sahara.
Political and religious travel reinforced these commercial ties. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 brought a large Malian entourage through Egypt, where gold was spent and goods were purchased. Turkish slaves bought in Cairo attended the king, and wealthy people in Walata wore Egyptian clothes, illustrating the material and social effects of the connection.
13th century – 15th century
Western Sudan, Sahara, Egypt
The Mali–Egypt trade route connected the western Sudan with Egypt through Saharan and oasis corridors. Gold from Mali reached Egypt by way of Gao and, in some accounts, through routes involving the Air, Tibesti, and the oases of Kharga and Dakhla. The route was revived or intensified between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries and was reinforced by the pilgrimage and diplomatic contacts of Mali’s rulers.
Continue exploring
The Story
Trade between the western Sudan and Egypt followed more than one Saharan corridor. An older route from Ghana passed through Gao, Air, Tibesti, and the Egyptian oases of Kharga and Dakhla, and although it was reportedly abandoned in the ninth century, the route appears to have been revived in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Other connections ran from Upper Egypt through the oases and desert toward Mali.
Gold formed one of the principal commodities moving northward. Part of Mali’s gold reached Egypt by way of Gao, while accounts also describe active commerce involving al-Wahat and Manfalut. Egyptian traders visited the towns of Mali, and by the middle of the fifteenth century Egyptian merchants were meeting Sudanese traders at Tuat, extending the commercial system through the central Sahara.
Political and religious travel reinforced these commercial ties. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 brought a large Malian entourage through Egypt, where gold was spent and goods were purchased. Turkish slaves bought in Cairo attended the king, and wealthy people in Walata wore Egyptian clothes, illustrating the material and social effects of the connection.
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