To Muslim traders from northern Africa, the Sahara was a "sea" that they sailed mounted on camels - their "ships of the desert."
They traveled in vast caravans, sometimes 12,000 camels strong, to protect themselves from bandits who acted as the "pirates of the desert."
Because the desert was as trackless as the sea, each caravan was led by a pilot who could navigate the way based mainly on patterns of sun, stars, and wind.
Along the way, caravans would stop at salt-mining villages in the desert to pick up slabs of salt for trade when they reached the "ports" to the south. |
