Crossing The Sahara In The 14th Century

Francois-Xavier Fauvelle | Lapham’s Quarterly | 13th November 2018

“A shopkeeper’s mind-set was needed in the caravan. You would buy your camels at Sijilmasa, then let them fatten for four months, as Ibn Battuta did, so that they could handle the crossing. One could never depart with only one camel; at least two wer…