Bornustraße

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Bornustraße (also Bornuweg , Garamantenstraße , in English texts Bilma Trail or Garamantean Road ) was called the great trans-Saharan caravan route between Tripoli and Lake Chad in the 19th century . It runs entirely on the territory of today's Libya and Niger states , not on the territory of Chad .

History of Bornustraße

In the middle of the 2nd century AD, Ptolemy provides a first indication of the route with his report on the expedition of the king of the Garamanten to the sub-Saharan land of Agisymba in the years 83 to 92 AD. Marinos von Tyros reports that one of the companions of the ruler of the Garamanten was the Roman trader Iulius Maternus . At the destination of the four-month trip, he saw many rhinos. Since they did not live in North Africa at the time, it is assumed that he had reached the area around Lake Chad. Probably had Punic slavers from Carthage long before built one or more bases in the Lake Chad region from which agisymba had emerged. So far, however, the ethno-historians have not been able to decide with certainty whether Agisymba was in the Aïr , in the Tibesti , in the Lake Chad area or possibly elsewhere.

In 666 AD, the Arab conqueror Uqba ibn Nafi first reached Fessan on an expedition south from the Mediterranean coast and then the oases of the Kaouar Valley northwest of Lake Chad in present-day Niger . In the Middle Ages, the Bornus Road was the most active and consistent trade route between North and Sub-Saharan Africa due to its shortness and relatively easy access. In contrast to West Africa's gold trade , slaves were the most important "export product" on the route. In addition, consular reports from Tripoli also mention small amounts of gold, senna leaves , animal products and textiles as merchandise from the south. In the opposite direction, mainly horses , fabrics, cowrie shells and weapons were delivered.

In the Middle Ages, the most important regulatory authority over Bornustraße was the Chad Empire , first Kanem-Bornu and then the successor Empire Bornu . As a result of the occupation of the oases in the northern central Sahara by the Ottomans in 1574, Bornu lost its bases in Fessan. However, the decline of the Trans-Saharan trade had started earlier. The main reason was the firm establishment of the sea route along the West African coast, another reason was the increasing desertification of the Sahara, which was becoming increasingly difficult to cross. By the time of the travelers in the 19th century, Bornu had sunk to an insignificant regional power, and the Bornuroute was only used sporadically as a trade route.

The course of Bornustraße

The exact course of Bornustraße is no longer known in individual passages and is the subject of current historical and archaeological research. Secure stations on the road are Murzuk and al Qatrun in the south of Libya, then the Tummo water point (today directly on the border between Libya and Niger on the Libyan side), Madama , the Séguédine oasis and the Kaouar valley with the Bilma oasis in Niger. The area of ​​the former Bornu Empire lies west of Lake Chad on what is now Nigerien territory.

Trade routes in northern Africa on a map from 1853; Half right between Murzuk (Mourzouk) and Bilma the Bornustraße

See also

literature

  • Edward William Bovill: The Golden Trade of the Moors. 2nd edition, revised and with additional material by Robin Hallett. Oxford University Press, London 1968.
  • Dierk Lange: Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa: Africa-Centered and Canaanite-Israelite Perspectives , Dettelbach 2004.
  • Knut S. Vikør: The oasis of salt. The history of Kawar, a Saharan center of salt production. Center for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Bergen 1999.

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