"Dikhil appeared to us as a privileged place on the threshold of which the dark spells of the desert ceased to act. The pale green of the palm trees took on a marvellous intensity" (Joseph Kessel, All Were Not Angels). Its name evokes a place of passage and meeting, and this is indeed what Dikhil is with its mixture of populations, unique in the country. We are indeed here at the junction of the Issa and Afar territories. Today, there are about 35,000 inhabitants, which makes Dikhil one of the most important places in the country. The commercial activity with Ethiopia is important and has attracted the nomads of the surroundings. Most of them have settled here for many years. The streets and alleys offer a pleasant stroll, between laurels and white walls, busy goats and sleeping cats. There is no shortage of restaurants with the smell of grilled meat. The sound of hammers and saws comes from the many small workshops open to the street. Somali knives (bilaawe) are made here and sometimes offered to tourists, as well as a variety of small handicrafts. This district capital is a must for all visitors on their way to Lake Abbe. The N1 road crosses it and "bounces" here to the northwest, towards Galafi and the Ethiopian border. The small town, still sometimes called by the locals Saralou, "the wadi with the kudu", has a few assets that will keep you busy during a stopover. Indeed, it is necessary to regain strength before continuing the road to Lake Abbe. From Dikhil to Lake Abbe. We take the unpaved road N6 to As Eyla (on the left when leaving Dikhil by the N1), then a bad track to the lake. The first part of the journey takes you across the vast Gobaad plain, with an average altitude of 360m, marked to the north by a plateau and its escarpments. This desert area crossed by the N6 is inhabited by many wild and domestic animals that roam freely and are easily surprised and contemplated. Do not hesitate to ask your guide (if you have time) to take a little altitude, on the surrounding reliefs, to contemplate from above this plain formerly covered by water. At the end of the unpaved road, the small village of As Eyla appears. Half of the way to the Abbe lake is now covered... but only the easier half

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Le village de Dikhil. Eyerusalem ABERA
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