Gold, Salt, and Slaves

Posted in: History, Travel | 0

Ait Benhaddou, Morocco

I wrote a piece a few weeks ago about a planned visit to Timbuktu.  My conclusion was that the danger involved in travelling to a salt mine in the desert of Mali was beyond my personal security threshold by a wide margin.



Ait Benhaddou is a Kasbah on the south side of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. From the 11th century until the end of the 20th century, it served as a trans-Saharan trading fortress. Gold, salt, and slaves from as far south as Timbuktu passed through here en route to Marrakesh and on to Atlantic sea-trading posts.





Russ and Bear, looking south toward Timbuktu, on a trail paved by …

… Gold, Salt, and Slaves.





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