The History of the West African Salt Trade

Did you know that salt was literally worth its weight in gold in ancient West Africa? This video is all about the lucrative trade of salt in West African history.
Salt from the Sahara desert was one of the major trade goods of ancient West Africa where very little naturally occurring deposits of the mineral could be found. Transported via camel caravans and by boat along such rivers as the Niger and Senegal, salt found its way to trading centres like Koumbi Saleh, Niani, and Timbuktu, where it was either passed further south or exchanged for other goods such as ivory, hides, copper, iron, and cereals. The most common exchange was salt for gold dust that came from the mines of southern West Africa. Indeed, salt was such a precious commodity that it was quite literally worth its weight in gold in some parts of West Africa.
- CHAPTERS -
0:00 Intro
0:42 Trade of Salt in West Africa
1:57 History and Transportation
5:22 Outro
- WANT TO KNOW MORE? -
The Salt Trade of Ancient West Africa
www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Timbuktu
www.worldhistory.org/Timbuktu/
Mali Empire
www.worldhistory.org/Mali_Emp...
Wolof Empire
www.worldhistory.org/Wolof_Em...
Songhai Empire
www.worldhistory.org/Songhai_...
- WATCH NEXT -
The Poet and Scholar Callimachus of Cyrene
• One of the Greatest Po...
The Wars of the Roses: Causes and Consequences
• The Wars of the Roses:...
The Life and Death of Mary Queen of Scots
• The Life and Death of ...
Proofreading History - Joanne Taylor
• Why Editing Matters: T...
- BUY OUR MERCH -
www.worldhistory.store​/​
- SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON-
/ whencyclopedia
- ATTRIBUTIONS -
The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
www.ancientlyre.com
open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2v...
/ @michaellevymusic
athena.worldhistory.org/artic...
World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org
#history #africanhistory #africa #salttrade #salt

[@jacksimms2565]

Nice job. Very interesting. Your hair looks great.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-fd2lv9kv1z]

This was a more interesting subject than warfare! I like to learn about economic matters more than warfare.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

We're glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@Davlavi]

Informative as always.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching Davlavi!

[@BigMicksLittlePlot]

Great Video from a great channel! well done and thanks for posting!💯💯💯

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thank you so much for your kind words. 😊

[@Tekmirion]

Very nice Kelly!! Thank you for the informations!

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@MotDoiAnLac258]

Many thanks for sharing.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thank you for watching!

[@umarshah7937]

Very nice job.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@LindaCasey]

🌹

[@ForbiddenHistoryLIVE]

THANK YOU KELLY
Dezert-Owl

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching!