Arab Traders to The Gambia's Early Written Accounts

Arab traders provided the first written accounts of The Gambia area in the ninth and tenth centuries. During the tenth century, Muslim merchants and scholars established communities in several West African commercial centres. Both groups established trans-Saharan trade routes. They carried out a large export trade of local people taken captive in raids and sold as slaves. Gold and ivory were also exported, and the trade routes were used to import manufactured goods to these areas. By the 11th or 12th century, the rulers of kingdoms such as Takrur, ancient Ghana, and Gao had converted to Islam. They had appointed to their courts Muslims who were literate in the Arabic language. At the beginning of the 14th century, most Senegambian stone circles (megaliths) run from Senegal of what is today called The Gambia through The Gambia. They are described by UNESCO as 'the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world'. The Portuguese reached this area by sea in the mid-15th century and began to dominate overseas trade.