Images

View of Great Zimbabwe's 'Great Enclosure'. This is the largest collection of ruins in southern Africa. The Gokomere Empire flourished here from the 11th Century CE to its collapse in the early 15th century CE.

A modern camel caravan in Morocco.

A map of West Africa from the 1375 CE Catalan Atlas. The map shows the trans-Saharan caravan trade routes between North Africa and the Niger River. (Sheet 6, National Library of France, Paris)

Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine

Built in the 16th–18th centuries, the Salzspeicher (salt storehouses) of Lübeck, Germany, stored salt to be shipped to the Baltic region.

Arms of the Hanseatic League, 1670 CE, Museum of London

Boats transporting slabs of rock salt on the Niger River delta, Mopti, Mali. The salt comes from ancient mines in the Sahara desert.

Salt slabs on sale at a market in Timbuktu, Mali. Salt from mines in the Sahara desert has been transported to and traded in West Africa since pre-historical times.

Sankore Mosque, Timbuktu, Mali. The mosque was built in the late 1100s CE.

Maximum extent of the Songhai Empire (c. 1460 - c. 1591 CE). Note: This map is for general illustration purposes, the Songhai Empire did not extend to the Atlantic coast.