8th century – 10th century
Air, south of present-day Agadez, Niger
Maranda was a settlement and water-hole in Air that functioned as a stopping place on major trans-Saharan routes. Medieval geographers placed it north of Gao and on the road from Ghana toward Adjadābiya and Zawīla. Later descriptions portrayed it as a populous refuge and resting place, while archaeological remains near present-day Marandet included evidence interpreted as an ancient copper-working site.
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The Story
Maranda was associated with a small town and water-hole south of Agadez in the Air region. The remains of an ancient village were still visible, and traces interpreted as an ancient copper foundry provided material evidence for earlier activity at the site. Its importance, however, derived chiefly from its position within the trans-Saharan travel network.
According to early geographical accounts, the people known as the Maranda lived north of Gao, and their land—or perhaps their capital—served as a stopping place on the major route from Gao to the Egyptian oases. In the later tenth century Ibn Hawkal placed Maranda on the road from Ghana to Adjadābiya in Cyrenaica, one month’s walking distance from Gao and before the route continued toward Zawīla.
Al-Idrīsī described Maranda as a highly populated city, a refuge and resting place for travellers and expeditions. His remark that travellers seldom passed there creates a tension between the city’s described capacity and the frequency of traffic. The settlement therefore appears as a locally significant node whose role may have varied across different periods or accounts.
8th century – 10th century
Air, south of present-day Agadez, Niger
Maranda was a settlement and water-hole in Air that functioned as a stopping place on major trans-Saharan routes. Medieval geographers placed it north of Gao and on the road from Ghana toward Adjadābiya and Zawīla. Later descriptions portrayed it as a populous refuge and resting place, while archaeological remains near present-day Marandet included evidence interpreted as an ancient copper-working site.
Continue exploring
The Story
Maranda was associated with a small town and water-hole south of Agadez in the Air region. The remains of an ancient village were still visible, and traces interpreted as an ancient copper foundry provided material evidence for earlier activity at the site. Its importance, however, derived chiefly from its position within the trans-Saharan travel network.
According to early geographical accounts, the people known as the Maranda lived north of Gao, and their land—or perhaps their capital—served as a stopping place on the major route from Gao to the Egyptian oases. In the later tenth century Ibn Hawkal placed Maranda on the road from Ghana to Adjadābiya in Cyrenaica, one month’s walking distance from Gao and before the route continued toward Zawīla.
Al-Idrīsī described Maranda as a highly populated city, a refuge and resting place for travellers and expeditions. His remark that travellers seldom passed there creates a tension between the city’s described capacity and the frequency of traffic. The settlement therefore appears as a locally significant node whose role may have varied across different periods or accounts.
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