, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1 = , translit_lang1_
, translit_lang1_info2 =
, image_skyline =
, imagesize =
, image_caption =
, image_flag =
, flag_size =
, image_seal =
, seal_size =
, image_shield =
, shield_size =
, image_blank_emblem =
, blank_emblem_type =
, blank_emblem_size =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
, mapsize1 =
, map_caption1 =
, image_dot_map =
, dot_mapsize =
, dot_map_caption =
, dot_x =
, dot_y =
, pushpin_map = Mali
, pushpin_label_position =
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
, pushpin_mapsize =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
, subdivision_type1 =
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivision_type2 =
, subdivision_name2 =
, subdivision_type3 =
, subdivision_name3 =
, subdivision_type4 =
, subdivision_name4 =
, seat_type =
, seat =
, parts_type =
, parts_style =
, parts =
, p1 =
, p2 =
, government_footnotes =
, government_type =
, leader_title =
, leader_name =
, leader_title1 =
, leader_name1 =
, leader_title2 =
, leader_name2 =
, leader_title3 =
, leader_name3 =
, leader_title4 =
, leader_name4 =
, established_title =
, established_date =
, established_title1 =
, established_date1 =
, established_title2 =
, established_date2 =
, established_title3 =
, established_date3 =
, founder =
, named_for =
, area_magnitude =
, unit_pref =
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 =
, area_land_km2 =
, area_water_km2 =
, area_total_dunam =
, area_total_sq_mi =
, area_land_sq_mi =
, area_water_sq_mi =
, area_water_percent =
, area_urban_km2 =
, area_urban_sq_mi =
, area_metro_km2 =
, area_metro_sq_mi =
, area_blank1_title =
, area_blank1_km2 =
, area_blank1_sq_mi =
, elevation_footnotes =
, elevation_m =
, elevation_ft =
, elevation_max_m =
, elevation_max_ft =
, elevation_min_m =
, elevation_min_ft =
, population_as_of =
, population_footnotes =
, population_note =
, population_total =
, population_density_km2 =
, population_density_sq_mi =
, population_metro =
, population_density_metro_km2 =
, population_density_metro_sq_mi =
, population_urban =
, population_density_urban_km2 =
, population_density_urban_sq_mi =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, population_density_blank1_km2 =
, population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
, timezone =
GMT
, utc_offset = +0
, timezone_DST =
, utc_offset_DST =
, coor_type =
, coordinates =
, postal_code_type =
, postal_code =
, area_code =
, twin1 =
, twin1_country =
, twin2 =
, twin2_country =
, twin3 =
, twin3_country =
, twin4 =
, twin4_country =
, twin5 =
, twin5_country =
, twin6 =
, twin6_country =
, twin7 =
, twin7_country =
, blank_name =
, blank_info =
, blank1_name =
, blank1_info =
, blank2_name =
, blank2_info =
, blank3_name =
, blank3_info =
, blank4_name =
, blank4_info =
, blank5_name =
, blank5_info =
, blank6_name =
, blank6_info =
, website =
, footnotes =
Taghaza () (also Teghaza) is an abandoned
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
-mining centre located in a
salt pan in the desert region of northern
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
. It was an important source of
rock salt for West Africa up to the end of the 16th century when it was abandoned and replaced by the salt-pan at
Taoudenni ar, تودني
, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1=
, translit_lang1_type=
, translit_lang1_info=
, translit_lang1_type1=
, translit_lang1_info1=
, transli ...
which lies to the southeast. Salt from the Taghaza mines formed an important part of the long distance
trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century.
The Sahara once had a very d ...
. The salt pan is located south of
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa ( ar, سجلماسة; ; also transliterated Sijilmassa, Sidjilmasa, Sidjilmassa and Sigilmassa) was a medieval Moroccan city and trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara in Morocco. The ruins of the town extend for five miles a ...
(in Morocco), north-northwest of
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
(in Mali) and north-northeast of
Oualata (in Mauritania).
Early Arabic sources
The Taghaza mines are first mentioned by name (as Taghara) in around 1275 by the geographer
al Qazwini who spent most of his life in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
but obtained information from a traveller who had visited the
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. He wrote that the town was situated south of the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
near the ocean and that the ramparts, walls and roofs of the buildings were made of salt which was mined by slaves of the Masufa, a
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–19 ...
tribe, and exported to the Sudan by a caravan that came once a year. A similar description had been given earlier by
Al-Bakri
Abū ʿUbayd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAmr al-Bakrī ( ar, أبو عبيد عبد الله بن عبد العزيز بن محمد بن أيوب بن عمرو البكري), or simply al-Bakrī (c. 1040–1 ...
in 1068 for the salt mines at a place that he called Tantatal, situated twenty days from
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa ( ar, سجلماسة; ; also transliterated Sijilmassa, Sidjilmasa, Sidjilmassa and Sigilmassa) was a medieval Moroccan city and trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara in Morocco. The ruins of the town extend for five miles a ...
. It is possible these were the same mines.
In 1352 the Moroccan traveller
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, largely in the Muslim ...
arrived in Taghaza after a 25-day journey from Sijilmasa on his way across the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
to
Oualata to visit the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl� ...
.
[.] According to Ibn Battuta, there were no trees, only sand and the salt mines. Nobody lived in the village other than the Musafa slaves who dug for the salt and lived on dates imported from Sijilmasa and the
Dar'a valley, camel meat and millet imported from the
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. The buildings were constructed from slabs of salt and roofed with camel skins. The salt was dug from the ground and cut into thick slabs, two of which were loaded onto each camel. The salt was taken south across the desert to Oualata and sold. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. Ibn Battuta mentions that the value increased fourfold when transported between Oualata and the Malian capital. In spite of the meanness of the village, it was awash in Malian gold. Ibn Battuta did not enjoy his visit; he found the water brackish and the village full of flies.
[ He goes on to say, "For all its squalor, '' qintars'' of qintars of gold dust are traded in Taghaza."]
The salt mines became known in Europe not long after Ibn Battuta's visit as Taghaza was shown on the Catalan Atlas of 1375 on the trans-Saharan trade route linking Sijilmasa and Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
.
Alvise Cadamosto learned in 1455 that Taghaza salt was taken to Timbuktu and then on to Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
. It was then carried "a great distance" to be bartered for gold.
In around 1510 Leo Africanus spent 3 days in Taghaza. In his '' Descrittione dell’Africa'' he mentions that the location of the mines, 20 days journey from a source of food, meant that there was a risk of starvation. At the time of Leo's visit, Oualata was no longer an important terminus for the trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century.
The Sahara once had a very d ...
and salt was instead taken south to Timbuktu. Like Ibn Battuta before him, Leo complained about the brackish well water.
Sixteenth century
At some date Taghaza came under the control of the Songhai Empire which had its capital at the city of Gao on the Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mal ...
across the Sahara. Al-Sadi in his '' Tarikh al-Sudan'' chronicles the efforts of the Moroccan rulers of the Saadi dynasty
The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...
to wrestle control of the mines from the Songhai during the 16th century. In around 1540 the Saadian Sultan Ahmad al-Araj asked the Songhai leader Askia Ishaq I
Askia Ishaq I was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1539 to 1549, elected Askia following the death of Askia Isma'il. He was the fifth ruler of the Askiya dynasty which had the town of Gao as its capital.
Ascension to the throne
When Askia I ...
to cede the Taghaza mines. According to al-Sadi, Askia Ishaq I responded by sending men to raid a town in the Dara valley as a demonstration of Songhai power. Then in 1556-7 Sultan Muhammed al-Shaykh occupied Taghaza and killed the Askia's representative. However the Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...
shifted the production to another mine called Taghaza al-ghizlan (Taghaza of the gazelles). On his succession in 1578 Ahmad al-Mansur asked for the tax revenues from Taghaza but Askiya Dawud
Askia Daoud (also Askia Dāwūd, Askiya Dawud) was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1549 to 1582. Daoud came to power unopposed following the death of his brother Askia Ishaq I in 1549. The Empire continued to expand under Daoud's peaceful rul ...
responded instead with a generous gift of 47 kg of gold. In 1586 a small Saadian force of 200 musketeers again occupied Taghaza and the Tuareg moved to yet another site – probably Taoudeni ar, تودني
, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1=
, translit_lang1_type=
, translit_lang1_info=
, translit_lang1_type1=
, translit_lang1_info1=
, transli ...
. Finally, a new demand by Ahmad al-Mansur in 1589–90 was met with defiance by Askiya Ishak II. This provided the pretext for Ahmad al-Mansur to send an army of 4,000 mercenaries across the Sahara led by the Spaniard Judar Pasha. The defeat of the Songhai in 1591 at the Battle of Tondibi led to the collapse of their empire. After the conquest Taghaza was abandoned and Taoudenni ar, تودني
, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1=
, translit_lang1_type=
, translit_lang1_info=
, translit_lang1_type1=
, translit_lang1_info1=
, transli ...
, situated to the southeast and thus nearer to Timbuktu, took its place as the region's key salt producer.
In 1828 the French explorer René Caillié stopped at Taghaza on his journey across the Sahara from Timbuktu. He was travelling with a large caravan that included 1,400 camels transporting slaves, gold, ivory, gum and ostrich feathers. At that date the ruins of houses constructed of salt bricks were still clearly visible.[. Caillié uses the spelling ''Trasas'' or ''Trarzas''. See .]
Ruins
At Taghaza there are ruins of two different settlements, one on either side of the ancient salt lake (or sabkha). They are separated by a distance of 3 km. The larger more westerly settlement extended over an area of approximately 400 m by 200 m. All the houses, except the mosque, were aligned in a northwest to southeast direction, perpendicular to the prevailing wind. The houses in the more easterly settlement were aligned in the same manner and occupied an area of 200 m by 180 m. The reason for the dual settlements is not known but could be connected with Taghaza's service both as a salt mine and as a stopping point on an important trans-Saharan trade route.
Climate
Taghaza has a hyper-arid hot desert climate ( Köppen ''BWh''). It is one of the driest places on earth and one of the hottest during summer, only being behind Chenachène
Chenachène (also written Chenachane) is an isolated village in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria.
Climate
Chenachène has a hyper-arid hot desert climate (Köppen ''BWh''). It is one of the driest places on earth and the hott ...
. The average high temperature in July is , which is 0.8°C higher than Furnace Creek, Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in Nort ...
, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, 0.3°C higher than Taoudenni ar, تودني
, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1=
, translit_lang1_type=
, translit_lang1_info=
, translit_lang1_type1=
, translit_lang1_info1=
, transli ...
and only 0.1°C cooler than Chenachène.
See also
* Judar Pasha
* Saadi Dynasty
The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...
* Taoudenni ar, تودني
, nickname =
, settlement_type =
, total_type =
, motto =
, translit_lang1=
, translit_lang1_type=
, translit_lang1_info=
, translit_lang1_type1=
, translit_lang1_info1=
, transli ...
* Chenachène
Chenachène (also written Chenachane) is an isolated village in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria.
Climate
Chenachène has a hyper-arid hot desert climate (Köppen ''BWh''). It is one of the driest places on earth and the hott ...
Notes
References
* . Google books
Volume 1
Volume 2
* .
* .
* .
* . Internet Archive
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
The original text of Pory's 1600 English translation together with an introduction and notes by the editor.
* . First published in 1981 by Cambridge University Press, .
* . Page 329 has a map showing the sabkha and the two settlements. Page 486 has plans of the settlements.
Further reading
* .
{{portal bar, Food
Taoudénit Region
History of the Sahara
History of salt
Former populated places in Mali