Things to see and do Sahara

The museum, adjacent to the city's library, is a motley collection of very interesting objects, but it needs some tidying up and cleaning! It will be easier to enjoy the visit of this site if you are accompanied by a serious and well-known guide, for a small fee of about 1,000 MRU. Otherwise, you may miss the local traditions and nomadic customs represented by many household utensils and objects. Nice view from the terrace of this traditional house.

In the direction of Choûm, 12 kilometers from Atar, is the museum of Touezekt, opened in 2005 by the patron El Khalil Ould Dah N'Tahah. This small structure presents in a detailed and precise way the habits and customs of the Mauritanians: nearly 6,000 archaeological pieces are exposed, as well as a hundred manuscripts! You can observe coins, stamps, military medals, utensils and traditional costumes... And other collections testifying of the history. Like what, a lot of good will can make up for the lack of means.

It is Zeinebou Abdel Kader who manages the museum today and takes care of the visits to the library, which no longer has a curator since the death of Mohamed Lemrabott Ould Taleb who was in charge. Tidjikdja was an important center of religious education. More than five thousand manuscripts make up its library, covering Islamic jurisprudence, medicine, social sciences, Arabic grammar, poetry, esotericism, astrology, mysticism...

At KP 235, shortly before Chami, is the central headquarters of the PNBA where you can pay the entrance fee. Opposite is the interpretation center, built in 2012. There are beautiful aerial photos, a sample of the fauna and flora, a mural that describes the life of the Imraguans, a dolphin skeleton... If the door is closed, look for the guard at the back or in the building on the other side of the road! A good introduction (or conclusion) to the visit of the park.

It was the subject of a study to register it as UNESCO World Heritage, and would thus benefit from support for the rehabilitation and maintenance of many buildings and one will benefit as part of its tourism development.

Built by Sultan Tégama to host the Tuareg warrior Kaossen, the rebel leader of 1916-1917, is to visit. The architecture of the large hall with monumental pillars supporting a veined arch is modelled on that of the Sultan's own chamber, it is the main dining room of the restaurant. You must cross it to access the terrace from where the view over the minaret of the great mosque is unique. Moreover, the street below, always animated to delight the foreigner passing.

Their exploitation has always been the same for an eternity. Excavations are dug in the salifère tablecloth. By evaporation, the salt cristallise on the surface, the crust is then broken and deposited on the bottom. The crystals are then placed in moulds to form either conical or kantou breads, or circular and flat breads. The visit of salines may sometimes be subject to haggling on its price, owners do not always understand the resource of long-term tourism and exaggerate prices, then discouraging the visitor. We must persevere and explain the need to know, do not hesitate to ask for a demonstration of the manufacture of bread, to avoid the passive visit and to justify the payment of a right of scrutiny. People must learn to "sell" their know-how and organize local tourism, but this must be done with the help of tourists.

They have an almost blind facade to preserve the heat. Benches on both sides of the entrance allow you to participate in public life at the hottest hours. The antichambre (chiguifa) has ellipses doors that avoid any intrusive look at the privacy of the inner courtyard. We usually spend the day, and women installed on mats in ouadi fins work the leather they tailor to make large colored cushions prized by nomadic Tuareg women (during fiestas, they congregate on these cushions on the back of their donkey to parade the sound of tendé (tuareg tam-tam). After this entry, several pieces organize around a courtyard where life beats its full: sheep to fattening in the trench, stove on his small stool in front of his cauldron, naked children piaillant and chamaillant. From the courtyard there is a staircase which serves the floor: It allows the inhabitants to taste the night freshness on the terraces protected by the high walls, with a skeleton edge which lets the air pass. Interior parts are sometimes decorated but often in a sorry state: some niches and geometric and symbolic motifs in relief. However, these swarming areas do not have any sewage or running water, and disease is strict, especially in the evening, when the household washes off their waste and polluted waters in the midst of alleys. In particular, the house of the butchers'chef and the house of Mrs Damanaka Amar Kâ, both located on the edge of the square Tamallakoye, unfortunately obstructed today by a high-lying clinic with no charm and crépi of cement.

It is the place of the Martyrs, where, in the sixteenth century, Saint Abayazid was born, who proclaimed freedom to all the convicts who came to a piquet planted in his place. This was where many of the cultivated personalities of Agadez were massacred by the French relief column from Zinder on 3 March 1917 to release the military post of Kaossen headquarters. Abayazid is buried in the mausoleum called albamban, a white dome construction in Coupole cemetery adjoining the airstrip, visible from the terrace of Azel Hostel.

30 km north of Gouré or 140 km by Zinder via the Laterite Route road. Kellé, a small village, head of the commune, is located at the foot of the Koutous massif 30 km north of Gouré on the Laterite road which then joins the west, Birnin Kazoé, Damagaram Takaya and Zinder. It is always possible to ask for a guide to the town hall. The Koutous is a massif consisting of steep plateaus between which flows des (Wadi) during rainy season. On the plateaus or valleys, many small stone and land villages are worth a visit. The colours are contrasting in rainy season (fields, ponds, meadows, rocks), and the cold season is interesting because the nomades and Tuareg nomads graze their herds. A region ideal for a quiet and picturesque trek of a few days (come with a guide). If you are in 4 x 4, drive in the valley of Kangama to reach, 20 km north, villages built in valleys. For this option, plan from Zinder at least 3 days by returning by the latérite of Damagaram Takaya. The population of the Dagara (Kanouri of the region) is very welcoming, all the more so as it only rarely sees foreigners.

This agency, led by Mohamed Ixa and Liman Feltou, is one of the best in Agadez. She has been working with French travel agencies for a long time.

A large travel agency for the Aïr and Ténéré, des circuits.

For circuits in the desert and river valley with interstate circuits throughout the subregion.

This village on the river Komadougou is located about 100 km south of N'Guigmi and 1 km east of Diffa (km from the first Nigerian police station, Malamfatori, on the road to Maïdougouri, direction N'Djamena via Kousseri). It is a breeding area of kouri cows, known for the shape of their chlamydospores and hollow horns that serve them as floats in the lake. Bosso Township Chief is very productive about the history of his béribéri village.

Access to the 60 border islands of the lake is made by the village of Doro Léléwa, km from N'Guigmi; it is a fishing village that transforms into a large market on Sunday. To go there fishing silures and tilapia, agree with the representative of the Township Chief of N'Guigmi, who deals with the management of natural resources.

You can climb on the cliff behind the school, after having clearly specified your intention to the people around you to avoid any misunderstanding (the military are susceptible and vexent at all the fingertips!).

The blue waters of the lake then come at your sight, identified from the green of cross-palms, and from the red of the massifs to the background… A real treat for your eyes! A few canards ducks above the lake, while some frightened swallows escape your passage from their nests dug into the cliff.

So hold! Des pyramids in this napatéen decor… Dating from the period from Napata's decline to Merowe's rise in power, these pyramids were built at an "intermediate" moment that made them forget about Sudanese imagery. There is, however, a crucial difference in relation to the pyramids of Merowe. Four of them still have their summit. Why did these sovereigns choose this place? Perhaps because it lies between the sacred piton and the horizon where the sun is couche.

The jebel itself is a place of visit because it can climb on its southern slope and have a superb panorama of this region of the Nile, close to 100 m high: Karima, Nuri, Merowe, as well as the archaeological site at the foot of the mountain. The temples of Mut and Amun revèlent their Plan. Once at the top of the "python", take a dream of all the conquerors on these shores… Bring yourself water and take a quarter of an hour to climb (no need for equipment) and 30 seconds to get down! The sands accumulated by the elements for centuries on this wall allow an express and original descent. Moving slides or stairs… Make sure you don't leave your sandals, if you have!

Entrance 20 SDG. To the west of the road (there is a sign), the ruins of the royal complex on the banks of the Nile must have been the center of the capital. It is now overgrown with acacia trees, and it is difficult to imagine its importance at the time of its heyday, when it probably housed more than 20,000 inhabitants. Apart from a few archaeological tells, there remain the remains of a temple of Amun (still identified by ram statues at the entrance), the bases of a temple of the Lion (a little outside the city, as it should be), but above all the more substantial remains of royal baths. Could these baths be the "fountains of youth" to which, according to Herodotus, the Meroians owed their supposed longevity?

Excavations on the site have brought to light a bronze head of the Roman emperor Augustus. It originally came from Egypt where, in 23 BC, the Romans were battling a Nubian revolt in the south, where they wanted to establish themselves. The Roman troops confronted those of Meroe and even razed the city of Napata, the former Kushite capital. In revenge, the head of a statue of Augustus was taken from Egypt and brought back to Meroe, where it was placed under the step of a palace door: thus Augustus was symbolically "trampled"!

Although the entrance is not free, it is interesting to visit a site that lives in the shadow of the postcard pyramids. Note that the ghaffir keeps the key of the baths.

Admire an Egyptian-inspired temple and a Roman-Roman amphitheatre with an arid savannah decor is not banal… This all the more so since neither the Egyptians nor the Greeks or the Romans built these buildings. It was the charm of the Méroïtique civilization that had been able to combine a large number of cultural influences.

The two buildings are behind barbed wire. The presence of many animals due to the close of the well may not be foreign.

The booth, whose utility remains discussed, is characterized by Egyptian lintels, interspersed with uraeus, corinthians capitals and Roman arches. Lions are visible on the top of the windows inside. Because the whole place is dedicated to the lion, the lion god Apademak. The temple behind the entrance tower shows a well-known scene of the egyptologists. The sovereign and his triumphant wife, about to decapitate a group of enemies at their mercy. It is King Natakamani and Queen Amanitore, observed by Horus, the eagle, and especially the god-creator Amun, to which their names refer (Aman-, -Amani). Lions devour prisoners at their feet… On the side of the tower, the asks master is represented with an emerging snake from a lotus. The bas-reliefs surrounding the temple are superb. On the west side, a strange Apademak with three heads and four arms surprise at the center of the scene. The inspiration seems frankly Indian… But how? By approaching, it is also noted that both hands of the sides of the underside are represented with the thumb and the related index, in the same way as those… from the Buddha. Inside the wall on the left, we end up breaking the Egyptian canons by representing a three-quarters deity, with a beard sealed! This is undoubtedly a Greek or Persian god…

But where one thinks of being in the middle of nowhere in Africa, what emotion to feel the presence etched in the stone of the culture of distant countries… This may already be the globalization old sauce!

In the east of the grand hall, you can see the temple of the Lion, dedicated to the god Apademak, with the lion head. It is a purely local deity that does not exist in Egypt. Although the whole is inspired by Egyptian culture, you can be able to note the details that highlight the bas-reliefs. First of all, elephant procession, frequently represented animals. The presence of griffins, as can be observed in the ruins of Persepolis in Iran, the heir country of the great Persian Empire of the ancient world. Also, the proportions of characters are different from those of their Egyptian counterparts, especially nubiennes queens. They are distinguished by their stéatopygie, that is, their generous butt, a symbol of fertility and beauty, particularly in Africa. Outside on the west wall, you will see here too, as in the grand enclosure, that the bas-reliefs have not been finished. Why? Mystery…

The temple was rebuilt in the 1960 s from the stone blocks surrounding the temple. The reconstituted ceiling is probably identical to the one that was there two thousand years ago.

For the entire site, do not forget the 20 regulatory guinées to give to the ghaffir, the guardian of the site, which will open the door of the temple.

Built in the very flank of the jebel, this temple dedicated to the wife of Amun retains bas-reliefs to disappeared colours and walls which have obviously suffered for centuries of ashes and vandals. From the temple, "out of the mountain", remain two proud columns surmounted by capitals effigy of a Hathor at Mona Lisa smile. The reference to these feminine merit figures can make it felt that this temple, located just at the foot of the very phalliforme rocky cobra, had the power to stimulate the fertility of its visitors.

Don't forget that there is a small museum south of the site

Free visit. Built in the th century before our era by the successor of Amenhotep III, the "monotheistic" heretical, but famous Akhenaton, the temple was located in a fortress town designed to monitor the border with Kush. There are only three pillars of the temple to be observed. The ruins of Egyptian fortifications are visible at the summit of the Sesi Sesi, overlooking the village of the same name.

The temple of Amun in Soleib, the temple is dedicated to Tiye, the wife of the Sovereign Amenhotep III. It leaves little more than a single column, with its top dominating a heap of ruins. The remains of a vast necropolis (probably used until the méroïtique period) and pyramid bases are hardly visible in proximity. 

Why not take Wau time? In addition to the décor, the site surprises the generosity of its inhabitants and its historical richness. The island was the subject of the first French excavations after the independence of the country, under the direction of Jean Vercoutter, who was also director of the Antiquities Service in Sudan.

Inhabited from the Palaeolithic, the island of Wau served as a border at several times, as in antiquity or during Ottoman domination. A fort was built on the ancient site of another strong place, located half an hour walk upstream from the landing site along the river. From the Christian era there are four columns, one of which is to the overthrown top, unique remains of an extinct church. These two sites are still being searched and their visit is free. The largest village on the island is a quarter hour walk through fields, west of the landing site. There are some small grocery stores and tea houses, open in the afternoon for reasons of supply. Don't hesitate to walk around the area, not to mention a lot of water.

At 10 km south of the shelter, the landing is in principle accessible by taxi, for 10 SDG, or by minibus. Coming from the south, ask the driver of the minibus to drop you in the exact place where you go; he will have a duty to drive you there. The ferry goes back and returns every 2 hours. There is no lokanda on site.

It is very broad and does not reveal its treasures. It is now a Polish mission that is carrying out the excavations. Unfortunately, the most beautiful frescoes are visible only when the team is on the site, that is almost exclusively in winter. The two-storey building, on the hill overlooking the entire site, is visible several kilometres to the round. Probably a church originally, whose interior seems to have been dedicated to the royal scene. Along the river lies the remains of a brick palace, which remains a few floors, walls and arcades. Thousands of pieces of pottery litter the surrounding soil.

If you spend the night on the spot, the light at sunset is beautiful.

Formerly located in the heart of the city, the western deffufa is nearly 20 m high and may suffer as much from the birds that nest in its walls as wind and sand. A staircase leads, in two stages, until its summit, passing the corridor that probably led to the burial chamber. The old location of the houses is symbolized in the surroundings by the bases by the way.

As its name indicates, eastern deffufa is located a few kilometres farther east. With smaller proportions, its remains can see that there are two inner halls, the entrance of which is still mentioned by remnants of columns. Fragments of cylindrical stone form a line on the ground through both pieces.

A museum opened in 2008 on the western deffufa site and is expected to expand to accommodate more visitors on the site. His interest is certain because he brings together very beautiful pieces which testify to the past richness of Kerma, including statues, pottery and objects of everyday life. The inhabitants of the Région region, which archaeologists gather under the impersonal label of "Group C", were farmers, fishermen and livestock breeders. Kerma had developed a refined art of pottery and worked a lot of metal. Traditional mud houses and land bricks protected heat. They are always built in the same way in 2010, even though the climate of the time was probably more lenient than these days.

Funeral practices are also mentioned. Inspired by their prehistoric ancestors of the group said "A", Nubian used to build circular graves and place their dead in foetal position, looking east and sunrise. Depending on the degree of tension with neighbours, particularly Egypt, there is the presence of weapons in funeral sites. More commonly, it is pottery, food or jewellery for women who accompany the deceased.

All ages from Neolithic to Islam are covered, with figurative reconstructions.

The best preserved medieval monastery in Sudan. Located in the desert of the Bayuda, a decor peculiar to contemplation and prayer, it was relatively preserved armed assaults and still retains high walls thick walls, marble slabs as well as arcades and enceinte. With Old Dongola and Faras frescoes, this is the most beautiful testimony of the Christian era in Nubia. Certainly linked to the monastery of Saint-Antoine in the Egyptian Sinai and the Church of Alexandria, the monastery fell into désuétude as Islam was required in the region.

By schématisant a little, one might say that the Site site is Le napatéen. However, it is not in the same state as its illustrious counterpart. Let us remember that it is older and that the construction stone is not the same. In fact, the necropolis of Nuri précéda that of Merowe. It probably welcomes, in the highest pyramid and the oldest of the site, the most famous Des sovereigns, Taharqa, Pharaoh Black of the xxviii dynasty. This is a little difficult to see nowadays, given the level of erosion of the building, but it is in principle the fourth, starting from the south, in the main alignment. The site has over fifty tombs of sovereign and sovereign.

In 664 BC, Taharqa decided to stand out from his predecessors by settling permanently over 5 km north of Karima on the other shore. He was not really followed by his successors, perhaps unhappy about what he left from Lower Egypt to the Assyrians, returning to El-Kurru. After the fall of the Black Pharaohs, Nuri became, until the third century, the necropolis of the sovereigns of Kush. Note that, for Taharqa, controversy has long divided archaeologists as to the real location of its last stay, after the discovery in Sedeinga in the 1960 s of a grave with a cartridge bearing its name.

Egyptian influence was now considerable at the peak of Napata's power. As with architecture, funeral rites were inspired by those in the north. The use of gold masks for the deceased and that of canopes vessels for its organs bears witness to this. During the first European excavations, in 1917, we were able to discover several funeral chambers, with some of their treasures, including many chaouabti (or oushebti), momiformes figurines symbolizing servants accompanying their master in the other world.

Rendez-vous in Port Sudan! The "cournish" (Arabic in the text) looks at the docks where the cargo is unloaded, night and day. There is also a mini-bar with tea and coffee making facilities. On Thursday evening, the corniche is particularly pleasant, as the locals come to walk there. This is the perfect time to enjoy delicious conish! (we said conish).

A little north of the city centre, it is often forgotten for tourists. However, the "as-samak" souk is a lively place and many advantages. First, we can buy freshly caught fish to simmer them, depending on your tastes, in the small restaurants on site. Then you can rent a fisherman boat for a few hours. There is nothing formal, but you can get to know the sellers of the shop, listening to a place on the coast, duration and price. If you plan to take a boat trip during the day, it will be better to avoid the warm hours of the early afternoon.

Entry 10 SDG, to pay at the ghaffir, in the house on the left after the old door at the end of the bridge. The old town, or just the island of Suakin. A round of round land of a few thousand square metres, in the middle of an cove whose channel has been expanded over the centuries to accommodate high-tonnage vessels. The whole creek is above all a coral formation. It is, of course, that the dried structure of the animal has been used as construction material for buildings. Unfortunately, the wind, the sprays and the rainy rain will not have been enough to preserve them from collapse.

According to the legend, Suakin has been, since the times of King Solomon, the place of banishing the jinn, the evil demons that many Sudanese still fear today. A sad reputation that fitted well with its slave status for several centuries. What injustice, however, for this island, which was still an important point of passage on the road of India, before the discovery of the Cape of Good hope by the Europeans and the Ottoman stranglehold on the coastal region in the th century. Merchants from Europe and Asia had established themselves. Its location also made it the great African port on the road to Mecca. But at the end of the th century, when the English invest in the region, it's no more than a village on the margins of the rest of the world.

If you have the opportunity before you come, we advise you to see photos of the island dating from the beginning of the last century. The contrast then will be more striking. The city has been abandoned, it seems to have been bombed, mutilated. Many people were forced to win Port Sudan. Others remained and settled on the continent. Some buildings, however, retain a form that distinguishes them from the ruins surrounding it.

The two small mosques first, Shafai and Hanafi. It is difficult to date with certainty, but it is possible that they are those described by the Portuguese, more than 400 years ago. Hanafi Mosque (the most easterly) is the object of a serious restoration. And there's work! Two-storey Ottoman houses, with their typical Red Sea moucharabieh, have disappeared. The former residence of the governor of the Sublime Gate was to be the home of Khorshid Effendi, in the north-east of the island, near the Bank of Egypt building, in "best" state than the others. Kitchener had taken the portrait with his officers in this house with an open "checker" (where hearings were held), all decorated stucco. In the west of the Shafai mosque, the buildings, which are likely to be portuaire (warehouses?), are also interesting. Besides, a house (an official palace?) has partially preserved its floor and its double staircase, which still falls in ruins and gives… on a vacuum. A superb decoration with stucco features is still visible inside.

On the mainland, don't miss a small tower along the creek. In the "new" city, the Taj as-Sir mosque (closest to the old door of the city) deserves to be stopped.

A few kilometres before arriving in Matmata, a magnificent cave ensemble reveals itself. Its owner, Faisal Habib, has for some years wanted it to be a luxury hotel. But the project is slow to take shape. In the meantime, Diar Amor is also a café, a shop, a restaurant and a modest museum located in the family house of Faycal, three generations old. Shame on the location (too) tourism: all the coaches stop here. 

This building, built at the end of the th century by the Sheikh, was designed to ensure its prestige with the Saharan tribes. As it was carried out by artisans of Fez and Marrakech, the necessary construction materials (wood, lime, tiles, etc.), which were absent on site, were transported by sea to Tarfaya and then à back to Smara. Today, partially restored, little work would be needed to save this part of the region's heritage entirely, but they are urgent.

Housed in the Maison d'initiative, this small museum, inaugurated in 2004, is dedicated to the memory of the author of The Little Prince. Saint-Exupéry spent two years of his life at Cap Juby (now Tarfaya) as a station manager for the airmail company. During his stay, he found inspiration for much of his literary work. Through explanatory panels and photos, the museum retraces the life of the pilot and industrial founder of the Toulouse airmail company, Mr Latécoère. An exciting visit to the heart of Aéropostale's history.

Built on the occasion of the visit of Hassan II to Laâyoune, in 1985, she animates at the end of the day and gives on the Palais des Congrès.

On the right, after crossing a land strewn with rubbish, a trail accessible to all vehicles leads to a promontory from which you will discover a true ocean of sand.

This ksar is located on the hill of the djebel Abiodh and dominates the valley of the oued Zonndag. Oval in shape, it has many ghorfas (400 or 750 according to sources). The whole, essentially in ruins, rises essentially on three to four floors. The site has eight old oil mills, a mosque, a marabout and a mausoleum. Some historians consider it one of the oldest and largest ksour in the country. Abandoned at the beginning of the French protectorate, it has been proposed for a future classification on the Unesco World Heritage List.

A rich collection of fossils and pieces of dinosaur skeletons, as well as maps, diagrams and various reconstructions that explain the origins and evolution of our planet. In the center of the main hall, there are reconstructions of an iguanodontid dinosaur made of plaster and a pterosaur hanging from the ceiling, as well as a silicon simulation of a theropod egg nest. The museum has been chosen to be the nucleus of a future "Geopark of the Dahar".