The Sahara

This chapter introduces the neglected Islamic archaeology of the Sahara. First, it draws together for the first time some of the important but little-known archaeological sites of the early Islamic Sahara. This is then followed by an exploration of key research themes: trade; urban planning and architecture; technology; religion and the early Islamization of the Sahara. The chapter is framed in reference to the particular conditions of Islam in the Sahara, as both a region removed from the landscape of the core centers of power within the Islamic world and one strongly influenced by its role in long-distance “trans-Saharan” trade and exchange networks.