Desert Vessels

The arrival of these "desert vessels" encouraged the development of a whole economy based on trans-Saharan caravans which linked the major kingdoms in sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean countries. The Tuaregs specialised in caravan transportation, bringing gold, slaves and wild beasts to the north, and manufactured goods and salt to southern countries like Ghana, Mali, Songhai, etc. From the 8^th to the 10^th centuries, Islam penetrated deep into the Sudan via the same caravan trails.