The development of commercial activity along the Benghazi-Wadai Road (1809-1909)

Abstract

This research aims to study the development of trade along the Benghazi-Wadai Road between 1809 and 1909. This research explores the development of the road, its opening, and the impact it had on the policies of the Wadai Sultans during the first half of the nineteenth century. The research also examines the relationship between the Senussi and the Wadai Court during the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, its impact on trade along the road, and the volume of trade between Benghazi and Wadai, as well as the most important commodities exchanged. The research concludes with important findings that demonstrate that this road did not stabilize until after the mid-nineteenth century, that the peak of trade along the road occurred in the last quarter of the century, and that trade along the road lasted longer than any other route linking the Sahara to the Mediterranean.