9th century – 12th century
Central Sahara, present-day Algeria
Wargala was an Ibāḍite settlement and trans-Saharan entrepôt that succeeded Tahert as a major centre of Ibāḍite life and commerce with the Sudan. It linked Ibāḍite communities in the Djarid with Tadmekka and served as a gateway for merchants from the central Maghreb. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, its merchants travelled to Ghana and Wangara to obtain gold for minting, while the settlement remained central to western Saharan trade.
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The Story
Wargala became the refuge of the last imam of Tahert and inherited Tahert’s roles as both a centre of Ibāḍite society and an entrepôt for trade with the Sudan. Its position to the south-east allowed it to connect settlements in the Djarid with Tadmekka, creating a chain of movement between the central Maghreb and the western Sudan.
The town’s merchants participated directly in the trade in gold and enslaved people. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Sudan was portrayed as a destination where travellers sought wealth. Merchants from Wargala travelled to Ghana and Wangara to bring back gold for the mint, and a sheikh from the region travelled as far as Ghiyāra before dying among people described as idolaters.
By the end of the twelfth century, most Ibāḍites had gradually been integrated into orthodoxy, but Wargala retained its commercial role. It remained a gate to the Sahara and the Sudan for traders from the central Maghreb, and its connections formed part of the western route used by merchants from Ifrīqiya.
9th century – 12th century
Central Sahara, present-day Algeria
Wargala was an Ibāḍite settlement and trans-Saharan entrepôt that succeeded Tahert as a major centre of Ibāḍite life and commerce with the Sudan. It linked Ibāḍite communities in the Djarid with Tadmekka and served as a gateway for merchants from the central Maghreb. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, its merchants travelled to Ghana and Wangara to obtain gold for minting, while the settlement remained central to western Saharan trade.
Continue exploring
The Story
Wargala became the refuge of the last imam of Tahert and inherited Tahert’s roles as both a centre of Ibāḍite society and an entrepôt for trade with the Sudan. Its position to the south-east allowed it to connect settlements in the Djarid with Tadmekka, creating a chain of movement between the central Maghreb and the western Sudan.
The town’s merchants participated directly in the trade in gold and enslaved people. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Sudan was portrayed as a destination where travellers sought wealth. Merchants from Wargala travelled to Ghana and Wangara to bring back gold for the mint, and a sheikh from the region travelled as far as Ghiyāra before dying among people described as idolaters.
By the end of the twelfth century, most Ibāḍites had gradually been integrated into orthodoxy, but Wargala retained its commercial role. It remained a gate to the Sahara and the Sudan for traders from the central Maghreb, and its connections formed part of the western route used by merchants from Ifrīqiya.
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