face-face12
Journeyman
I just want to know if it is possible for a desert city to become a major trading hub and if so what factors would contribute to this? any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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trading cities in the desert
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Jabrosky
Banned
If the desert in question lay at the crossroads between multiple continents (rather like how the Middle East connects Africa, Asia, and Europe), your city would make a logical intermediary in commerce between these different regions. Also, you'll need an oasis or maybe a river that floods its banks regularly (good for riverside agriculture) to keep the city people alive.
Bortasz
Lore Master
Yes it is possible.
The first and most important it must be between.
Between spice of India and Roman Empire for example.
Than it must have something that incurage people to stay there. In the desert it can be as simple as water. Caravan need it, in you city it is, so they stop drink the water, trade, and move on.
That two thinks are the simplest, way to created big city in the middle of desert. Remember only that Value of trading commodities must be proportioned to the size of the city. If this is the ONLY way to get silk and spices for nobles that it can be very rich and very big city.
The first and most important it must be between.
Between spice of India and Roman Empire for example.
Than it must have something that incurage people to stay there. In the desert it can be as simple as water. Caravan need it, in you city it is, so they stop drink the water, trade, and move on.
That two thinks are the simplest, way to created big city in the middle of desert. Remember only that Value of trading commodities must be proportioned to the size of the city. If this is the ONLY way to get silk and spices for nobles that it can be very rich and very big city.
WooHooMan
Scribal Lord
It's theorized that, at one point, Timbuktu was one of the largest cities in human history precisely because it was a major trading spot in the middle of a desert. Pre-Islam Mecca served a similar purpose. Such cities are a necessity in desert regions.
Here's a simple way to make this work:
To the north = major nations (for example, Europe)
To the south = nations with trade-able goods (sub-Sahara Africa for Timbuktu; Persia, India and China for Mecca)
In the middle = desert
It's impracticable for traders to travel the entirety of a desert without stopping. For trade to exist between the north and south nation, there needs to be cities to stop and resupply. As a result of merchants and traders stopping there, these cities can become trade hubs pretty quickly.
Over the course of Muhammad's lifetime, Mecca went from a small nomad stop to a Medieval Arabian economic power to the capital of a massive empire.
Here's a simple way to make this work:
To the north = major nations (for example, Europe)
To the south = nations with trade-able goods (sub-Sahara Africa for Timbuktu; Persia, India and China for Mecca)
In the middle = desert
It's impracticable for traders to travel the entirety of a desert without stopping. For trade to exist between the north and south nation, there needs to be cities to stop and resupply. As a result of merchants and traders stopping there, these cities can become trade hubs pretty quickly.
Over the course of Muhammad's lifetime, Mecca went from a small nomad stop to a Medieval Arabian economic power to the capital of a massive empire.
Hananas59
Apprentice
Water is the main thing you need. When you tweak with this and make it on a major travelling road you can have quite a big city. Maybe a city in a desert with some promising ruins near so treasure seekers will also visit?
Also a south with major countries and a north with supplies like gold or diamonds (you just need to make some sort od mining culture there) can result in a big trading alliance between the miners and the dudes with other supplies.
Also a south with major countries and a north with supplies like gold or diamonds (you just need to make some sort od mining culture there) can result in a big trading alliance between the miners and the dudes with other supplies.
Look first to real world examples.WooHooMan already mentioned Timbuktu. I'd add Samarkand. I'm sure there are others. Go read up on these to acquire some useful world building details.
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face-face12
Journeyman
Thanks again everyone for your great advice!
If it's in the middle of the desert, then they could even have the monopoly as a trade hub. The desert cities on the silk road were the only places with water, and that allowed them to block direct contact between Rome and China. To make your trades, you had to go through them.
Water in these places would also be a bit different than water systems elsewhere. They wouldn't dig deep for a well, or rely on lakes that dried up. Instead, they dug their wells horizontally into the side of a mountain and relied on gravity to fill their reservoirs from the slopes above. Because of that, there might be only a few very specific places you could build a city, even today.
Water in these places would also be a bit different than water systems elsewhere. They wouldn't dig deep for a well, or rely on lakes that dried up. Instead, they dug their wells horizontally into the side of a mountain and relied on gravity to fill their reservoirs from the slopes above. Because of that, there might be only a few very specific places you could build a city, even today.
Bruce McKnight
Lore Master
Depending on your world, there could also be magical reasons.
Maybe an old hermit mage built a magic water sping there and nomads flocked to the site after he died. Maybe it's a source of magical energy or renewal, like the fountain of youth for mages. Maybe there is magic sand that only spawns in that location.
The trade or travel route midpoints have been covered pretty well and have a lot of historic precedent, but you could add another level of intruige by introducing some politics. What if the path through the city (which generates a lot of income from travelers) wasn't the quickest route? What if another group tried to build a luxurious inn to cater to travellers on a quicker route or they tried to build a new road. Actually, it could even be a longer route, but some enterprising group tried to build a better road to travel faster.
In areas like this, I would expect a lot of crime. It may be easy for street urchins to fleece someone if they knew that person was only going to be in town for a day.
Water would be pretty important in a place like this and you could have crime lords controlling the water supply. Maybe the poke holes in the water containers of passing travelers and then sell water at ridiculous prices.
Maybe an old hermit mage built a magic water sping there and nomads flocked to the site after he died. Maybe it's a source of magical energy or renewal, like the fountain of youth for mages. Maybe there is magic sand that only spawns in that location.
The trade or travel route midpoints have been covered pretty well and have a lot of historic precedent, but you could add another level of intruige by introducing some politics. What if the path through the city (which generates a lot of income from travelers) wasn't the quickest route? What if another group tried to build a luxurious inn to cater to travellers on a quicker route or they tried to build a new road. Actually, it could even be a longer route, but some enterprising group tried to build a better road to travel faster.
In areas like this, I would expect a lot of crime. It may be easy for street urchins to fleece someone if they knew that person was only going to be in town for a day.
Water would be pretty important in a place like this and you could have crime lords controlling the water supply. Maybe the poke holes in the water containers of passing travelers and then sell water at ridiculous prices.
psychotick
Dark Lord
Hi,
Like the others I'd say yes. But before any place can become a trading hub, it must first be able to become a town or city. So that means water and food production as others have said. And that must be a permanent water supply, not something that could dry up.
Then it needs to have roads leading to it from different locales. A place just sitting out in the middle of a desert surrounded by sand dunes wouldn't make it because traders wouldn't be able to find it.
Distance from those locales (assuming it's in the middle) would be critical to its success as a trading hub. If it's only a days travel from the nearest cities where the traders come from, why would they stop at the town when it wouldn't be that much longer to travel on to their neighbour's realm. More than a month I would think would make most traders think twice about heading there. My guess is that a weeks travel would be about right. Far enough to discourage traders from wanting to head on for another week and then two more weeks back. Close enough that they would be tempte by good proces etc to make the journey.
Cheers, Greg.
Like the others I'd say yes. But before any place can become a trading hub, it must first be able to become a town or city. So that means water and food production as others have said. And that must be a permanent water supply, not something that could dry up.
Then it needs to have roads leading to it from different locales. A place just sitting out in the middle of a desert surrounded by sand dunes wouldn't make it because traders wouldn't be able to find it.
Distance from those locales (assuming it's in the middle) would be critical to its success as a trading hub. If it's only a days travel from the nearest cities where the traders come from, why would they stop at the town when it wouldn't be that much longer to travel on to their neighbour's realm. More than a month I would think would make most traders think twice about heading there. My guess is that a weeks travel would be about right. Far enough to discourage traders from wanting to head on for another week and then two more weeks back. Close enough that they would be tempte by good proces etc to make the journey.
Cheers, Greg.
Terry Greer
Mystagogue
You should look at Qanats Qanat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia these can stretch huge distances and are frequently used by desert cities. They also provide interesting locations for parts of the story.
arboriad
Journeyman
Another suggestion apart from an oasis could be a religious center, the site of a miracle, or apparition. Perhaps even it is foretold as the place where the 'Hero of Ages' will descend/incarnate/do the deed. I could imagine an elaborate priestly system controlling the trade networks, blessing goods, etc. Or things like the beginning of the world happened there, but was blighted by Evil, or the gods blighted it themselves trying to hide an old secret/patrimony from a wayward people, and this station is a way to fund excavation efforts to wrest back what the gods have hidden.