Travel Guide to Algeria and Niger

The Aïr Massif : Agadez : The Ténéré Desert : Bilma : Djado : Desertification : Peoples of the Desert : The Tuareg

Niger could be the place at the beginning of the end of the world - it's the landscape that does it. There are black volcanic mountains towering over green oases, cascading waterfalls, desert cities with wide tree-lined boulevards, camels, camels, camels! and of course the dramatic, if lonely beauty and serenity of the desert. The landscape is matched by its inhabitants. It's a country of aristocratic desert nomads, skilled artisans, silversmiths with magical powers and a race of tall, lithe, people so physically beautiful that even the men enter beauty contests. Their kindness and rich warmth is never far from the surface.

The Aïr Massif

The Aïr Massif is one of the most spectacular sights in West Africa. Covering an area the size of Switzerland, its black rocks and rugged peaks glower in the desert sun. Deep in the interior hide the thermal springs at Tafadek, the green oases gardens laden with figs, pomegranates, dates and citrus fruits of Timia and Iferouâne and sparkling icy waterfalls to quicken a heat flagged body. back to top

Agadez

 With its wide sandy streets, Sudanese architecture and various markets, Agadez is one of the highlights of a trip to Niger. A place that ebbs and flows on the tide of history. In medieval times it was a flourishing city at the edge of the desert, overflowing with camel trains, caravanserai, slave traders, and gold transporters. By the middle of the 19th century the flow had eased to a trickle and Agadez looked all but doomed. In the last century the population skyrocketed twice: once with the discovery of uranium and once again when thousands of dispossessed West Africans swarmed into the city after the devastation of the 1970s Sahel droughts.
The Grande Mosquée was totally rebuilt in 1844 and, with its pyramid-like minarets and wooden scaffolding, is a perfect example of Sudanese architecture. Climbing to the top requires a bit of effort but gives great views of the Aïr Mountains. If you're not already totally shopped out, the Grand Marché is the most animated place in town. You can go just for the spectacle, the people, and the variety of artisan's goods on display. If the bustle of the market starts to get to you, you can always head for the old quarter of the town. The pace is less electric: you can wander the crooked streets, visit the tiny shops and study the Sudanese houses with their Hausa-inspired designs – all at a leisurely pace. The camel market is another 'must see'. back to top

The Ténéré Desert

The word Ténéré means the Land of Fear in Tamachek and it covers the Grand Erg du Bilma in the south, the serir of the Ténéré du Tafassasset in the north and the plateaux of the Libyan and Chadian borders. It is the size of France and includes dunes, plateaux, plains, mountains, isolated villages, caravans and prehistoric rock art to keep you interested. We will spend much of our time exploring the various parts of it, cross its marching dunes to Bilma, via the fortress town of Fachi, and what was once the Arbre du Ténéré. Sleeping out in the dunes under the sparkling heavens in the heart of the Ténéré sand-sea is one of the most wonderful travelling experiences you’re ever likely to have. back to top

Bilma

This oasis town has long been at the centre of the Saharan salt trade. Salt slaves, gold and dates have been the mainstay goods of the great caravans, once numbering thousands of men and enough camels to stretch a staggering 10-kms into the distance. The caravans, though still present, are now very much reduced. The salt mines and the mining process are there to be inspected and the traders arrive with goods to barter. They still load up with salt cones, famed Bilma dates and animal fodder for the next long journey out across the dunes.
According to Hans Vischer in Across the Sahara… ‘Jetko, is a dark and forbidding rock frowning over Bilma and the southern end of the oasis. This mountain warns the inhabitants of the approaching arrival of a caravan, for when it sings the men know that a caravan is close at hand. The noise it produces by the blowing of the wind from a certain direction through the crevices of the torn rock was clearly heard by the French officers one night. On the 6th of October in the morning, the old Liman came to tell me that the mountain had spoken. On the 8th October, at ten in the morning, the first Asbin caravan arrived. It consisted of four thousand eight hundred and fifty-one camels, and eight hundred and fifty-seven men. The mountain had not lied.’ back to top

Djado

From Seguedine the route forks – one to the north-east carrying a steady flow of immigrant labour from all over Africa to the remote borders of Libya in search of work, while the other heads north-west. Following the latter route we continue our journey to the edge of the Djado plateau. Here we find the ruins of a fortified citadel on the ancient trans-Saharan trade route to the Fezzan that epitomises the romance and intrigue of the Sahara. Nearby, among some extraordinary rock formations, there are ancient rock engravings. back to top

Desertification

The rapid desertification of Niger is due to several compounding factors: the devastating droughts of the 1970s, overgrazing; the scavenging of trees for firewood; and the pure quartz sands of the region that make high yield crops – and subsequent anchoring of topsoil – impossible. This situation is particularly noticeable in the north and central regions although Niger does get enough rain in the south to support a range of wildlife – hippos, giraffes, elephants, buffalo and leopard – in its national park. back to top

Peoples of the desert

The Hausa people are not so much a culturally distinct group as a linguistic certainty. Over 20 million West Africans say 'good morning' in Hausa as a matter of course, and just as many speak it as a second language, making it one of the most widespread languages in sub-Saharan Africa. The ancient Hausa culture originated in the heartland of northern Nigeria and spread out across the land in successive waves. Other distinctively Nigerien (as opposed to Nigerian) ethnic groups are the nomadic tribes of the Fulani and the Tuareg and the Bororo Fulani (or Wodaabé) who are 'people of the taboo' and are known for their intricate and exhaustive set of taboos and moral codes which emphasise reserve and modesty, patience and fortitude, care and forethought, and hospitality. back to top

The Tuareg 

Time and tide have not been so fortunate to the Tuareg. Once proud lords of the desert, they can now be found lumping bricks on building sites or working at the mines. The lucky ones act as tourist guides. Renowned as desert raiding nomads, the romantic blue men of the desert – so called because of the indigo dye that rubs from their turbans onto their faces – largely frequent southern Algeria, western Niger, Southern Mali, and corners of Libya and Burkina Faso. They belong to regional clans: The Kel N’Ajjer occupy the Tassili Ajjer and Ghat, the Kel Aire - Agadez and the Aire, the Kel Ahaggar occupy the Hoggar, There are five other groups stretching out as far west as Timbuktu. Kel means “people of”. Each clan speaks a different dialect of Tamachek, the Tuareg language. Most Tuareg also speak French and Arabic. Tuareg society is matrilineal.
The Inadan, extraordinarily gifted artisans, are more or less indentured vassals within the Tuareg family system. They are not paid a wage by the Tuareg, and can often take on the role of a servant, but they are highly respected for their silver smithing abilities and talents in making saddles, camel bags, tools, utensils, and talismans. Of particular note is the Croix d'Agadez, a silver filigree cross, recognisable even to westerners; a powerful talisman that protects against the 'evil eye'. For these and other silver works, the Tuareg noble makes reparation in the way of gifts and various indulgences and failure to do so can bring bad juju down on him and his family. It's a prickly paradoxical kind of relationship, with both master and slave occupying the higher ground, but depending on each other for esteem, social worth, and survival. The Inadan have a puckish reputation, 'older than memory, proud as the crow, mischievous as the wind' and can reputedly cast spells, tezma or ettama, as acts of retribution against those who have crossed the invisible Inadan line of respect. back to top