Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

What was the primary purpose of the Trans-Saharan trade routes from 1200 to 1450?

• To facilitate religious pilgrimages across the Sahara

• To connect various scientific communities across continents

• To link the wealthy empires of West Africa with the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds

• To serve as a barrier against invasions

What role did the Berbers play in the trans-Saharan trade?

• They provided security for the caravans.

• They served as experienced guides and were essential to the growth of the trade.

• They were primarily traders of gold and salt.

• They constructed the trade routes.

Why were camels referred to as the "ship of the desert"?

• They could swim across desert mirages.

• They were used for entertainment in desert festivals.

• They could carry large loads over great distances without water.

• They were the fastest animals in the desert.

By the thirteenth century, what had Timbuktu in the Mali Empire become?

• A major gold trading center

• A center of learning and commerce

• A large salt mining city

• A religious pilgrimage site

What was the primary commodity that West African empires exchanged for salt and luxuries from the Mediterranean?

• Copper

• Gold

• Spices

• Textiles

What was the main purpose of the emperors of Mali and Songhai in controlling the movement of merchants across their land?

• To promote religious conversions

• To collect more taxes

• To guard the secret locations of gold mines

• To increase trade with Europe

How did the arrival of Islam influence the trans-Saharan trade?

• It decreased trade due to religious conflicts

• It led to the decline of traditional religions

• It united a vast swath of Afro-Eurasia into a single trading system

• It restricted trade to Islamic countries only

Which language improved record-keeping and made communication easier among West African merchants?

• Berber

• French

• Swahili

• Arabic

What role did Islam play in urban centers of West Africa?

• It was limited to the ruling class and merchants

• It was universally adopted by all social classes

• It was rejected by most urban centers

• It played no significant role

Who was the Moroccan scholar that traveled from Morocco to China and was impressed by the wealth of Mali?

• Ibn Battuta

• Mansa Musa

• Ibn Khaldun

• Al-Bakri