Almoravids Seize Sijilmasa and the Trans-Saharan Trade
1053
Abdallah ibn Yasin led the Almoravid faithful out of their Senegal River ribat and struck north, capturing Sijilmasa, the great caravan terminus at the Sahara's edge. Control of this single oasis city meant control of the gold road - every ounce of Sahelian gold bound for the Mediterranean now passed through Almoravid hands. The movement was no longer a religious revival; it was an empire in embryo.
In context
Also in 1053 (2 other events on record)
- Battle of Civitate · Europe · War
- Wujing Zongyao Circulates Gunpowder Formulas · East Asia · Technology
Before and after in Africa
Before and after in War
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.