What is Trans-Saharan trade?
[[File:Great Mosque of Djenné 1.jpg|thumb|[[Djenné]] used to be an important town on the trans-Saharan trade; its [[mosque]] is a World Heritage Site]] The '''Trans-Saharan trade''' was when people traveled across the [[Sahara desert]] to reach [[sub-Saharan Africa]] from the [[North African coast]], Europe, west Africa or the Levant. The trade existed during the prehistoric times. The trade became popular from the 8th century until the late 16th century. The trade was also used to transport [[slavery|slaves]] and [[food]] to different places. They also traded a lot of [[gold]] for [[salt]], and salt for gold. The center of the trans-Sahara trade was [[Ghana]]. At the time, the country was called [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]]. The king [[tax]]ed everyone who came into the country to trade. He was considered to be the richest man in the world. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trans-Saharan Trade}} [[Category:History of Africa]] [[Category:Economy of Africa]] {{history-stub}}