10th century BCE – 3rd century BCE
Sahara between North Africa and the Niger region
The trans-Saharan chariot routes were corridors linking North African oases with the Niger region during the horse period. Rock paintings and engravings indicate two principal routes: an eastern route from Tripoli through the central Sahara to Es-Souk, and a western route from Figuig through the Mauritanian Adrar and Dhar-Walata to Goundam. Cavalry replaced chariots in North Africa around 300 BCE.
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The Story
Rock paintings showing horse-drawn chariots were found in oases between North Africa and the Niger. The distribution of these sites suggests that movement across the desert followed established corridors rather than a random succession of crossings. These routes connected oasis environments and linked the northern Maghrib with settlements and regions farther south.
The eastern corridor ran from Tripoli through Ghat, Tassili-des-Ajjer, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas to Es-Souk, identified in the passage with Tadmekka. A second, more westerly corridor began in the oases of Figuig and continued through Zemmour, the Mauritanian Adrar, and Dhar-Walata toward Goundam near the Niger.
The chariot routes belonged to a changing military and transport system. When cavalry replaced chariots in North Africa around 300 BCE, the change was also reflected in Saharan rock paintings. The evidence therefore records both long-distance communication and the successive adoption of transport technologies.
10th century BCE – 3rd century BCE
Sahara between North Africa and the Niger region
The trans-Saharan chariot routes were corridors linking North African oases with the Niger region during the horse period. Rock paintings and engravings indicate two principal routes: an eastern route from Tripoli through the central Sahara to Es-Souk, and a western route from Figuig through the Mauritanian Adrar and Dhar-Walata to Goundam. Cavalry replaced chariots in North Africa around 300 BCE.
Continue exploring
The Story
Rock paintings showing horse-drawn chariots were found in oases between North Africa and the Niger. The distribution of these sites suggests that movement across the desert followed established corridors rather than a random succession of crossings. These routes connected oasis environments and linked the northern Maghrib with settlements and regions farther south.
The eastern corridor ran from Tripoli through Ghat, Tassili-des-Ajjer, Hoggar, and Adrar-des-Iforas to Es-Souk, identified in the passage with Tadmekka. A second, more westerly corridor began in the oases of Figuig and continued through Zemmour, the Mauritanian Adrar, and Dhar-Walata toward Goundam near the Niger.
The chariot routes belonged to a changing military and transport system. When cavalry replaced chariots in North Africa around 300 BCE, the change was also reflected in Saharan rock paintings. The evidence therefore records both long-distance communication and the successive adoption of transport technologies.