Western sahara: Did you mean...?

An aerial view of trenches on the Western Front in 1916 during the First World War (1914-18). The upper line shows British trenches and the lower line German ones. Location: east of Picantin and Tilleloy. Imperial War Museums, London.

A map of the principal locations involved in the Western Desert Campaigns of the Second World War (1939-45).

A May 1940 photograph showing a German Panzer II (foreground) and Panzer I (rear) operating on the Western Front during the Second World War (939-45). (German Federal Archives)

A 1916 photograph of German defensive positions on the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18). Imperial War Museums, London.

Bronze ritual vessel, Western Zhou Dynasty, 1100-1000 BCE. Henan Province, China. The ancient Chinese tradition of preparing ceremonial meals for ancestors dates back to the Shang dynasty (1500-1050 BCE). An inscription inside this bowl...

A photograph taken in May 1941 showing a British soldier protecting himself against a sandstorm during the Western Desert Campaigns in North Africa during the Second World War (1939-45). (Imperial War Museums)

The bronze and its inscription were cast for the Duke of Xing, a descendant of a famous historical figure, the Duke of Zhou. The long inscription inside dedicates the vessel to the Duke of Zhou. It records the gift of three groups of men...

A July 1941 photograph showing a South African desert patrol in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaigns of the Second World War (1939-45). (Imperial War Museums)

A photograph taken in January 1943 showing Corporal John Henderson of the Scots Guards during the Western Desert Campaigns in North Africa in the second World War (1939-45). (Imperial War Museums)

West Africa was one of the world's greatest producers of gold in the Middle Ages. Trade in the metal went back to antiquity but when the camel caravans of the Sahara linked North Africa to the savannah interior, the trade really took off...