Trans-Saharan Slave Trade Study Guide

Flashcards covering key concepts and details from the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade lecture notes.

What two processes facilitated cultural immersion in North Africa during the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade?

Conquest and Trade Networks.

Sahel

A semi-arid region of grassy plains along the southern border to the Sahara

What is Arabization?

The gradual spread of Arabs, their language, culture, customs, law, and religion throughout the region.

What were some commodities traded from North Africa in the Trans-Saharan trade?

Salt, beads, metal goods, textiles, spices, horses, brassware.

What commodities were transported from the south?

Gold, ivory, kola nuts, ostrich feathers, animal skins, slaves.

What proportion of the gold circulating in the Mediterranean was imported from the Sahara?

Approximately 2/3.

Define slavery according to the study notes.

Slavery is a social-economic system where people called slaves are deprived of personal freedoms and ordered to perform labor or other services.

How did the definition of slavery change with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?

Slavery became racial and was not initially a racial concept.

What did the Qur'an promote regarding slavery?

A benevolent form of slavery that improved the conditions of slaves and encouraged manumission.

What were some rights or protections provided to slaves in Islamic societies?

Slaves could marry with consent, were not overworked, were to receive material support and medical attention, and could be freed if seriously injured.

What was the significance of the Baqt Treaty?

It was a long-term peace agreement that involved the exchange of enslaved people between Egypt and the Christian Kingdom of Nubia.

What was the purpose of the slaves sent from Nubia to Muslim Aswan?

To maintain peace between the two regions, as stipulated by the Baqt Treaty.

How did the status of children born to enslaved mothers vary?

Their status followed that of their father.

What roles did enslaved men typically hold in Islamic societies?

They served as eunuchs, soldiers, domestic servants, miners, and agricultural workers.

What impact did Vasco da Gama's arrival have on the Swahili Coast?

It led to the destruction of the coastal towns which thrived from the 9th-15th centuries.

How many slaves were transported through trans-Saharan and other networks between 650 CE and the end of the 16th century?

About 12 million.

What characterized the Swahili Coast during its peak?

Royal courts, stone palaces, beautiful mosques, and internal plumbing.