Glossary · Term

Gold trade

Also known as gold-salt, trans-Saharan gold

The gold trade refers to the commerce in West African gold, often exchanged for Saharan salt and carried across the desert to North Africa and the Mediterranean. Control of this trade enriched the Ghana Empire and the Songhai Empire, and supplied the gold for the dinars of the Almoravid Empire and the Almohad Caliphate.

Mentioned in 4 profiles

Almoravid EmpireFoundation, Socioeconomy, Impact Ashanti EmpireImpact Ghana EmpireMilitary Songhai EmpireSocioeconomy, Decline

Mentioned in 5 state histories

Sanhaja confederation Sultanate of Mogadishu Kingdom of Zimbabwe Kingdom of Asebu Portuguese Mozambique

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gold trade. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gold-trade
MLA: “Gold trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gold-trade. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Gold trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gold-trade.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gold trade’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gold-trade (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻