Taghaza

Coordinates: 23°36′N 5°00′W / 23.600°N 5.000°W / 23.600; -5.000
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Taghaza
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Taghaza (

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 which lies 150 km (93 mi) to the southeast. Salt from the Taghaza mines formed an important part of the long distance trans-Saharan trade. The salt pan is located 857 km (533 mi) south of Sijilmasa (in Morocco), 787 km (489 mi) north-northwest of Timbuktu (in Mali) and 731 km (454 mi) north-northeast of Oualata
(in Mauritania).

Early Arabic sources

Bambuk, Bure, Lobi, and Akan
.

The Taghaza mines are first mentioned by name (as Taghara) in around 1275 by the geographer

Berber tribe, and exported to the Sudan by a caravan that came once a year.[2] A similar description had been given earlier by Al-Bakri in 1068 for the salt mines at a place that he called Tantatal, situated twenty days from Sijilmasa.[3] It is possible these were the same mines.[4]

In 1352 the Moroccan traveller

qintars of qintars of gold dust are traded in Taghaza."[8]

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.[6]

Alvise Cadamosto learned in 1455 that Taghaza salt was taken to Timbuktu and then on to Mali. It was then carried "a great distance" to be bartered for gold.[9]

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 and salt was instead taken south to Timbuktu. Like Ibn Battuta before him, Leo complained about the brackish well water.[10]

Sixteenth century

At some date Taghaza came under the control of the

Taoudeni.[15] 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.[16] 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
, situated 150 km (93 mi) 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.[17] At that date the ruins of houses constructed of salt bricks were still clearly visible.[18]

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.[19] The larger more westerly settlement extended over an area of approximately 400 m by 200 m.[20] 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.[21]

Climate

Taghaza has a

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. The average high temperature in July is 48.2 °C (118.8 °F), which is 0.8°C higher than Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, 0.3°C higher than Taoudenni
and only 0.1°C cooler than Chenachène.

Climate data for Teghaza
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.2
(77.4) 		29.0
(84.2) 		31.7
(89.1) 		38.3
(100.9) 		41.3
(106.3) 		45.7
(114.3) 		48.2
(118.8) 		46.8
(116.2) 		43.5
(110.3) 		37.4
(99.3) 		30.5
(86.9) 		25.1
(77.2) 		36.9
(98.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6) 		20.1
(68.2) 		23.5
(74.3) 		28.3
(82.9) 		31.7
(89.1) 		35.8
(96.4) 		38.7
(101.7) 		37.7
(99.9) 		35.1
(95.2) 		29.1
(84.4) 		22.8
(73.0) 		17.4
(63.3) 		28.1
(82.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 8.8
(47.8) 		11.2
(52.2) 		15.3
(59.5) 		18.4
(65.1) 		22.2
(72.0) 		26.0
(78.8) 		29.2
(84.6) 		28.6
(83.5) 		26.7
(80.1) 		20.8
(69.4) 		15.2
(59.4) 		9.7
(49.5) 		19.3
(66.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0
(0) 		1
(0.0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		1
(0.0) 		3
(0.1) 		4
(0.2) 		1
(0.0) 		1
(0.0) 		0
(0) 		11
(0.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, pp. 176, 178; Mauny 1961, p. 330; Hunwick 2000, p. 89.
  2. ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 178.
  3. ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 76.
  4. ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 399 note 3.
  5. ^ a b Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 282.
  6. ^ a b Mauny 1961, p. 330.
  7. ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 414 note 5. The location of the Malian capital is uncertain.
  8. ISBN 9780330418799
    .
  9. ^ Wilks,Ivor. Wangara, Akan, and Portuguese in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (1997). Bakewell, Peter (ed.). Mines of Silver and Gold in the Americas. Aldershot: Variorum, Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Leo Africanus 1896, pp. 800–801 Vol. 3.
  11. ^ Hunwick 1999, p. 142.
  12. ^ Hunwick 1999, p. 151.
  13. ^ Hunwick 1999, p. 155.
  14. ^ Hunwick 1999, p. 166.
  15. ^ Hunwick 1999, p. 167.
  16. ^ Kaba 1981; Hunwick 1999, pp. 309–310.
  17. ^ Caillié 1830, p. 106 Vol. 2.
  18. ^ Caillié 1830, p. 128 Vol. 2. Caillié uses the spelling Trasas or Trarzas. See Caillié 1830, pp. 329–330 Vol. 2.
  19. ^ Mauny 1961, p. 369 Fig. 67.
  20. ^ Mauny 1961, pp. 485–487.
  21. ^ Mauny 1961, p. 487.
  22. ^ "Climate: Teghaza". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved March 28, 2020.

References

Further reading

  • Monod, Théodore (1938), "Teghaza, La ville en sel gemme (sahara occidental)", La Nature (in French) (3025 15-May-1938): 289–296.
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