Trans-Saharan Route (central): Route Map and History
Caravan route from the Hausa cities and Lake Chad region through Agadez and the Fezzan to Tripoli on the Mediterranean.
Open the Trans-Saharan Route (central) in the interactive map
Key facts
| Active | AD 600 – 1900 (approximate) |
| Length shown on the map | about 2,500 km |
| Main stops | 5 |
Stops along the Trans-Saharan Route (central)
| Stop | Ruled by in AD 600 | Ruled by in 1200 | Ruled by in 1650 | Ruled by in 1900 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kano | West African cereal farmers | West African cereal farmers | Hausa States | Sokoto Caliphate |
| 2 | Agadez | Unclaimed / no data | Tuareg Nomadic Tribes | Unclaimed / no data | Sokoto Caliphate |
| 3 | Ghat | Unclaimed / no data | Tuareg Nomadic Tribes | Ottoman Empire | Ottoman Empire |
| 4 | Ghadames | Unclaimed / no data | Tuareg Nomadic Tribes | Unclaimed / no data | Ottoman Empire |
| 5 | Tripoli | Eastern Roman Empire | Fatimid Caliphate | Ottoman Empire | Ottoman Empire |
The route is drawn schematically through its main stops; real caravans and ships used many variants. The state columns come from the border maps closest to each year.
Other trade routes
- Silk Road · 130 BC–1450
- Maritime Silk Road · 100 BC–1500
- Incense Route · 500 BC–AD 200
- Persian Royal Road · 500 BC–330 BC
- Amber Road · 100 BC–AD 400
- Route from the Varangians to the Greeks · AD 800–1100
- Trans-Saharan Route (western) · AD 300–1600
- Hanseatic trade route · 1250–1600
- Cape Route to India · 1498–1869
- Atlantic triangular trade · 1520–1867
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.