Salt extraction by the Afar nomad tribes of camel drivers and Issas from Lake Assal's salt bank established the ancient caravan routes. These linked the lake with the mountains of Ethiopia for barter trading such items as sorghum, coal, and other commodities. Salt was also bartered with South Abyssinia for items like coffee, ivory, musk, and also (historically) slaves. It was a source of wealth for the local tribes. In the recent two decades, industrial mining has been revived with development of roads linking with the Ghoubbet El Kharab bay by the Gulf of Tadjoura. The present road to Lake Assal is paved. The lake is 120 km from Djibouti city.