Communities, economies and exchange networks along the medieval caravan routes of the pre-Sahara: investigation of the oases centre of Tamdult, southern Morocco

Recipient	Dr Sam Nixon (UEA)
Date	01 October, 2017
Amount	£3,878
Summary	This research will undertake the first field-season for a new project on the medieval oasis of Tamdult in southern Morocco, a caravan trading town on trans-Saharan routes to West Africa, and an industrial centre of silver production. Specifically, this will involve test-excavations of previously unexplored fortified Kasbahs, as well as sampling of widespread evidence for metallurgy, including possible silver, gold, and copper working. The research will also involve sampling archival collections in Morocco for analysis. The resultant publications will integrate the new fieldwork results with past research, positioning these within Maghrebian history and its commercial and cultural exchange networks.