The Golden Trade of Timbuktu: Salt, Gold, and the Desert Economy

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the economic engine that made Timbuktu an intellectual capital: the trans-Saharan trade in salt, gold, and books. They discuss the crucial role of salt from the mines of Taghaza and Taoudenni, the goldfields of the Wangara and Bambuk regions, and how Timbuktu's merchants and scholars turned trade routes into scholarly networks. Learn about the Mande dyula traders, the use of cowrie shells and gold dust as currency, and how the city's wealth attracted scholars from across the Islamic world. The conversation also touches on the decline of the trade routes after the Moroccan invasion and the rise of Atlantic trade, and the legacy of Timbuktu's commercial culture. #Timbuktu #SaltTrade #GoldTrade #TransSaharanTrade #Taghaza #Taoudenni #Wangara #Bambuk #Dyula #Mande #CowrieShells #GoldDust #SonghaiEmpire #MaliEmpire #MoroccanInvasion #Saadian #WestAfrica #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo