In medieval Africa there was a land so rich in gold that its ruler was rumored to tie his horse to a huge nugget of gold weighing more than 29 pounds (13 kg). this land was the early kingdom of Ghana,which between the southern edge of the Sahara dessert and the northern reaches of the Senegal and Niger rivers. for many centuries Ghana was an important center for the trading of African gold.
The gold came from the west and south of the kingdom of Ghana.in some places pits were dug to mine it.in others gold dust sparkled in the beds of rivers and streams or in the sand along the seashore.the gold was taken by traders to market centers such as Djenne, Timbuktu,Gao, and awdaghust.there it was exchanged, often for salt from the great salt mines near taghaza,in the Sahara dessert. one Arab traveler who visited Awdaghust in the 11th century found a busy town with bright-colored cloth,brass jars and kettles, salt dried fruits of all kinds, honey, and,of course, gold, all being traded in the bustling marketplace.