Muslims carried Africans to be sold at markets by Arabs and Berbers in the Mediterranean Sea. They were transported by land route across the Sahara. Two out of three slaves were women. This was due to Arabs using them as concubines in harems and for sexual explotation. Most of the male slaves were castrated and used as guards for harems or for military service. Many of the children were killed at birth. The mortality rate for the Trans Saharan slave trade was 80 to 90%. Slaves were often left to die on the side of the road. It is estimated 28 million Africans were enslaved over the course of this trade.
While the trans-Saharan trade route was used to transport