Trans-Saharan Route (western): Route Map and History
Camel caravans crossed the desert between the Niger bend and Morocco, trading West African gold and slaves for salt from Taghaza, cloth and horses. It made Ghana, Mali and Songhai rich.
Open the Trans-Saharan Route (western) in the interactive map
Key facts
| Active | AD 300 – 1600 (approximate) |
| Length shown on the map | about 2,000 km |
| Main stops | 4 |
Stops along the Trans-Saharan Route (western)
| Stop | Ruled by in AD 300 | Ruled by in AD 800 | Ruled by in 1300 | Ruled by in 1600 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timbuktu | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data | Mali | Songhai |
| 2 | Taghaza | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data |
| 3 | Sijilmasa | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data | Unclaimed / no data | Wattasid Morocco |
| 4 | Fez | Rome (Maximian) | Idrisid Caliphate | Morocco | Wattasid Morocco |
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 (central) · AD 600–1900
- 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.