Trans-Saharan Cultural Diffusion

Several civilizations have experienced cultural diffusion throughout history, due to the trade routes that existed. The spread of religion, goods, and knowledge to their surrounding ethnic groups is due to to the trans-Saharan trade routes. These trade routes caused civilizations to have connections with each other, causing cultures to blend. If the trans-Saharan trade routes never existed several African countries would have never experienced cultural diffusion. Cultural diffusion helped make cultures more aware of their surrounding ethnic groups. Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural traits from one ethnic group to another, spreading their beliefs from one area to another geographical area. When new cultures are receiving new traits

Some items that merchants would send using long-distance trade were household items, livestock, salt, kola nuts, and clothing. Merchants would heavily depend on long-distance trade (Abbott). Some commonly traded goods along the trans-Saharan trade routes were horses, gold, slaves, and salt. The first two major trans-Saharan trade routes were in full use by 1000 CE. They started in western Africa and were taken control of by the Ghana Empire , the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. Even though transporting goods was risky, and bandits would hide on trade routes, trade still made profits and was estimated to make hundreds of thousands ounces of gold. Trading thrived because of the trans-Saharan trade routes (Davis and Page). Goods, resources, and religion were spread along trade

Islamic ways were taken into various cultures. While Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was ruling in Medina, the earliest institutions for Islamic people and religious-political authority, economic organization, and law were created. Also during this time period Islamic beliefs spread through Arabia and was considered a society. During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries Islamic ways spread from west Africa to southeast Asia. The Rashidun caliphate had a great expansion of Islam along with taking in their values, and social ways of organization. Several different cultures were influenced by the Islamic beliefs