The second element that gives birth to the great ancient civilizations in close proximity to

its resources. The essential needs to survive and flourish in the desert are the water and raw

materials. Being close to these materials provide a better chance of surviving and essentially

thriving. Besides rivers, there are also oases that are the alternative source for water. Of course,

they cannot be the primary or permanent source of water, but they are still responsible to the

creation of settlements in the middle of the desert that later on became stopping points for traders

and merchants (Sahistory, 2015). The trans-Saharan trade and the silk road which are the

important trading routes for Mali, Ghana and the Egyptian civilization, derived from these

stopping points (Avis Barrett, 2017). Moreover, raw materials such as gold and salt also help to

develop great civilizations. Great civilization such as the Mali empire and ancient Egypt are all

wealthy kingdoms because they are swimming in gold. As gold is a very valued element even

during the ancient times, researcher do not have the exact number of gold being extracted (Extra

Credit, 2018). Gold mine can be found in the Southern part of the Mali Empire and the Eastern

between the Niles and the red sea of ancient Egypt (Miningweekly, 2012). These high prices

element is the incentive for trade and merchant to risk their lives crossing the dangerous desert

(Extra Credit, 2018). One such great display was during the pilgrimage to Mecca of King Masa

Musa of the Mali empire. He marched across the Sahara Desert with caravan stretching for days

carrying tons of golds each. He caused massive inflation for just giving away golds as a religious

duty. As a result, he earned his mark on the map of the world as a respected king Masa Musa

inspecting a golden ignites (Extra Credit, 2018). The second raw material is the salt as it is a vital

production for trades. Empires, who holding the salt industry, can control the economy during

the 2nd millennium CE (Mark Cartwright, 2019). The Idjil and Awlil mining sites were the

famous salt mine that was under controlled by the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empire in different
periods (Mark Cartwright, 2019). It was also an important part of the food. In one case people in

the southern kingdom of Mali did not have enough salt in the food, so they have to import it from

the north (Sahistory, 2015). At the very least, these great civilizations are rich in resources

including raw materials and water, which are the key to surviving and flourishing in the harsh

desert.