Salt trade in western Sudan from the fifth century AH until the end of the tenth century AH

Abstract

The research aims to identify the most important sources of trade in Western Sudan, which is salt, and the role of desert cities in the expansion and spread of this trade, especially the urgent need for salt in Western Sudan. This is due to the intense need for it by the residents of these areas. The more we penetrate into the territory of Western Sudan, the more urgent the need for it increases and the more expensive its price is due to its lack of availability in Western Sudan in general. Because the desert constitutes a large part of it, in addition to the significantly high temperatures, the research included clear and simple points about the location of Western Sudan, its most important commercial areas, and the most famous trading tribes that monopolized this trade, as well as the areas where salt was found, the types of salt pans in Western Sudan, and how to extract it from it. Land and method  of transporting it.