Trans-Saharan slave trade

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The trans-Saharan slave trade was a Muslim slave trade across the Sahara, from the 7th century until the early-to-mid-20th century. Slaves, primarily from West, Central, and East Africa, were sold throughout the coastal Maghreb, Egypt, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and regions of West Asia. Estimates of the total number of black slaves moved from sub-Saharan Africa to the Arab world range from 10 to 18 million from the mid-7th century until the 20th century when it was abolished. While Europeans managed the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in West Africa with West African tribes and kingdoms, Arabs managed and operated the East African and trans-Saharan slave trade. Berber elites and Arabized Berbers were also actively involved in the enslavement and trade of slaves.

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