Unfortunately, due to the lack of written records of the Saharan Empires, our knowledge about the history of Africa and the Trans-Sahara Trade is limited and lacks in detail. It is challenging to reconstruct a comprehensive account of this period as we do not have access to extensive written documentation. Therefore, our understanding of the history of Africa and the Trans-Sahara Trade during this time must be based on clues from language, architecture, and cultural changes.
During the Middle Ages, several kingdoms emerged in the western section of Africa. These kingdoms were governed by powerful kings, and their actions significantly influenced the economy and history of Africa for many years. Trade played a crucial role in the prosperity of these kingdoms, as they relied on it for both wealth and resources. As a result, they came to be known as the "Trading States of Africa.”
The trading states became powerful because they had control over valuable resources that people in Africa needed. The two most valuable resources controlled by the trading states were gold and salt.
Gold was valuable in ancient Africa for the same reason it is valuable everywhere else: it is rare. There is not enough gold for everyone to possess a large quantity, so the limited amount available holds a high value. Several African Trade States established gold mines to extract gold from the ground and utilize it as a form of currency.
Salt was even more important than gold in Africa during the Middle Ages. When refrigerators and other means of preserving food were not available, Africans relied on salt to dry out their meat and prevent spoilage. Additionally, salt added flavor to otherwise bland food, enhancing its taste.
The three most powerful African Trading States were Ghana, Mali and Songhai. All three of them controlled a different section of the Trans-Saharan trade route and became very rich by trading gold and salt. Ghana, Mali and Songhai were all civilizations that were built just south of the Sahara Desert. They each controlled a specific portion of the trade routes that went through the desert down to southern Africa. Merchants traveled along these routes and traded northern salt for southern gold. The kings of Ghana, Mali and Songhai controlled this trade and became rich by collecting taxes on it. Ghana, Mali and Songhai became rich and powerful because they controlled the salt trade. Ghana, Mali and Songhai controlled more gold and conducted more global trade than any European power at this time in history.