RQ 3

Desert mafia

• They are not tour guides

• They will rob you

Water

• Thirst can be fetid and lethal

• There used to be many rains

  • This rain would fill rocky gullies

  • People could do laundry and drinking

• This water could cause intestinal problems

• Camel throats were opened to access their intestines and rip them out

• The intestines would be used as water pouches.

• People would drink from a straw.

• People could also kill an Addax Antelope and rip out its intestines

  • This would give people green water

Daily inconveniences

• Thirst was the cause of death of many people

• Omnipresent fleas

• Snakes

• Water became more expensive

  • Cause due to the horse needing water as well.

Demons

• Ibn Battuta says there are many

• Toyed with isolated travelers

• Seduce you to lose your way

How did traveling in a caravan help make the trip possible

• Strict discipline

• The camel would move if ordered to do so

• The camels would carry most of the load

What obstacles (geographic and environmental) would traders face on the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes, aka The Sand Roads?

• Water scarcity

• Biggest desert in the world

How did the Arabian camel help facilitate trade across the Sand Roads?

• The camel was able to take most of the weight

• It could travel 10 days without water

How did the spread of Islam lead to the spread of learning throughout Africa? 

• Islam provided a link to Muslim trade partners

• A vast number of Western African cities became major centers of Islamic religious and intellectual life.

What was the significance of Timbuktu?

• It was a renown center of learning, boasting more than 150 lower-level Quranic schools and several major centers of higher education and attracting thousands of students from all over West Africa and beyond.