Medieval Saharan Caravan Navigation
Upvote:3
- There are much sand in Sahara, that's true. But the sand deserts are mixed with stone or clay ones. And these last are everywhere in Sahara. (BTW, the sand deserts are the least dangerous - there are always some water somewhere under the sand.) So, it is enough to choose ways so that you'll visit periodically these stable parts of Sahara. Or at least see them sometimes - viz. p.2.
- The people in Sahara used the stone "lighthouses" - heaps of stones on some ordinary hills, and the extraordinary rocks/hills/mountains themselves as orienteering points. These travellers even renewed such heaps on sand dunes - the dunes are not changing during a day or even a month.
- Of course, nobody travels Sahara in midday, and in the evening/morning the Sun can be used for orienteering. And, of course, the Polar star at night. (In the old times the Polar star was not polar, but always there was some other near-polar star.) The precision of that course is enough to reach from one orientation point to another.
And where it was not enough, there was no caravan ways.
Upvote:9
The exact technique these caravans used to navigate the desert appears to an issue of some contention in the scholarly community. Solid historical evidence seems to be lacking, since these cultures orally passed down this navigation knowledge for the most part. Anthropologists and other scholars have made analyses of modern Saharan navigators, but the questions remains of whether these modern peoples use the same techniques as they did historically.
However, even with all that, there seem to be two main theories for how these peoples navigated.
- Navigate using the stars: There seems to be some evidence that modern Tuareg people of the Sahara navigate using star formations and astronomical knowledge. While it appears that these people never developed highly sophisticated astronomy, they know/knew enough for basic navigation. See this link for more information on this theory.
- Navigate using landmarks: However, there is also strong evidence that the same modern Tuareg people primarily use landmarks to navigate, occasionally in conjunction with star-based navigation, but often alone. While this technique would not allow people to navigate over many of the large, shifting-sands regions of the Sahara, most of the Sahara actually has visible rock formations that could be used for this purpose. See this link for more information on this theory.
It is also possible that the medieval navigators used some combination of the two techniques, using landmarks when they were available, and using their rudimentary astronomical knowledge only when landmarks were unavailable.
More post
- 📝 Are there any extant original first-century manuscripts of any of Josephus' works?
- 📝 How has Catalonia ended up being so nationalist?
- 📝 What literary or philosophical works did the ancient Egyptians have that have influenced ancient civilizations or the modern word?
- 📝 Is there any proof that Robin Hood existed?
- 📝 How controversial were "updates" of churches in the past?
- 📝 Why are gliders not used anymore in military operation?
- 📝 What's the history of the source of the slogan "power to the people"?
- 📝 Who is this American politician holding a speech at the beginning of "In the year of the Pig" (1968)?
- 📝 Why did The Crown give assent to Apartheid legislation during the 1950s?
- 📝 What is the proper terminology for the changes that occur in a text throughout history?
- 📝 How did the ancient Romans count with their fingers?
- 📝 What were the origins of democracy?
- 📝 How did the educational curriculum (books) flow from grade to grade in the 1800s?
- 📝 Why are former SS Engineers and Scientists who worked for NASA still honored?
- 📝 Is there an accepted explanation for multiple independent "cradles of civilization"?
- 📝 What type of warship is this (likely WW2)?
- 📝 Do indigenous Latin Americans share any common "recent" ancestors with the Chinese?
- 📝 Why did the United States not seriously develop Anti Aircraft Missiles?
- 📝 Can anyone identify this woman’s uniform?
- 📝 Why did the Russians lose to the Turks in 1711 after defeating them in 1700 and the Swedes in 1709?
- 📝 What's the origin of differentiating between civilians' and soldiers' "rights" in war?
- 📝 Why did Franklin Roosevelt promote Nazi sympathizer/eugenicist Frederick Osborn to high levels of office?
- 📝 Why was the Soviet Marine Infantry disbanded in 1947?
- 📝 How long did it take US fleet submarines during World War 2 to charge their batteries?
- 📝 Why was the Kashmir issue not completely solved at the end of Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971?
- 📝 Did Sturmabteilung (SA) commit serious crimes before 1933?
- 📝 What is this ancient Egyptian material called "maklalu"?
- 📝 Could women be crucified under Roman law?
- 📝 When did Albertus Magnus write 'On Animals'?
- 📝 Did the USSR have a more positive relationship with France than other west european countries after 1945?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Medieval Saharan Caravan Navigation
- 📝 Did medieval scholars believe the Earth was round?
- 📝 Did medieval stores have names?
- 📝 How much smaller were medieval farm animals in England than today?
- 📝 Did cows in Medieval times have calves in spring or all year round?
- 📝 Were Medieval Britons aware of the existence of the Roman Empire?
- 📝 Where did Medieval Europe's gold come from?
- 📝 What were the acceptance criteria in universities of medieval Europe?
- 📝 Did medieval peasants work 150 days a year?
- 📝 How did Medieval armies survive the use of mail armor in the deserts of the Middle East?
- 📝 How literate were common people in Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How common were marital duels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 How were medieval castles built in swamps or marshes without draining them?
- 📝 How did cities operate in medieval times?
- 📝 How much would 300 pounds (money value) weigh in Medieval England?
- 📝 In the Medieval period, how long would an average swordsmith need to forge an average sword?
- 📝 Were the living standards in Medieval Europe a lot worse than in the Muslim world?
- 📝 What is the date and original source of this medieval picture?
- 📝 Is this medieval picture of hanging 5 royals showing an historical event?
- 📝 What were sandbags used for in medieval duels?
- 📝 What's the meaning of a knight fighting a snail in medieval book illustrations?
- 📝 How did medieval manors handle population growth? Was there room for more fields to be ploughed?
- 📝 What did squires do in the middle of a medieval battle?
- 📝 What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
- 📝 Were there inns and hostels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 What is the meaning of people "looking elsewhere" on medieval paintings?
- 📝 Classical battle sizes vs medieval battle sizes
- 📝 Did men and women feast together in early medieval East Francia?
- 📝 Was frequent bathing for personal hygiene in medieval Europe common or not?
- 📝 What were birthdays like in Medieval times?