Monuments to visit Sahara

The mountains around the village of Sainte-Catherine are extraordinary. Absolute peace and granite mountains provide the backdrop for a variety of hikes, beyond Mount Moses, the most famous and most frequented, and Mount Sainte-Catherine, which is quite arduous. Day-long to week-long hikes can be organized, with or without camels. Don't hesitate to enlist the help of an English-speaking agency (Bedouin guides' English is sometimes limited), or use the village camps for the more experienced.

Djebel Abbas (2,344 m). Situated 6 km west of the monastery, it can be recognized by the castle ruins crowning its summit. This vestige dates back to the ^19th century, when Khedive Abbas chose the site for a desert cure. Some time after the work had begun, Abbas Pasha changed his mind, preferring to settle on the sacred mountain itself. To get to Mount Abbas, the best route is up wadi Abu Selleh, wadi Bougieh... and down through small palm groves occupied by Bedouins.

Djebel Bab el Dounia. The hike to the "Gateway to the World" mountain takes 3 days and 2 nights. We also recommend the Algalt Et Azrak (Blue Pound) valley, where you can enjoy a swim

Valley of the 40 prophets. Situated between Mont Moïse and Mont Sainte-Catherine, this is a must if you're doing the 2 hikes in succession, which is sustained but extraordinary. Here you can sleep in Bedouin summer villages.

Only a few ruins remain of the ancient city, located in Kom el-Ashmuneïm, 8 km from Tuna el-Gebel. But new discoveries suggest that Tuna el-Gebel will not remain in the shadows for long. In 2017, the Egyptian authorities reported the discovery of a necropolis with numerous funerary wells dating from the end of the Pharaonic period (26th dynasty and after) and the beginning of the Ptolemies in the mid-4th century. In the region of Tuna el-Gebel, opposite Amarna, and 60 km south of Minya, the Egyptian mission is continuing the excavations .

A pleasant hour walk awaits you unless you prefer the bus. To see: the irrigation Museum.

Abou el-Kacem Chebbi, born in 1909 in Tozeur and died on October 9, 1934 in Tunis, is a Tunisian poet considered by some as the national poet of the country. Despite his early death, due to poor health, he published seven volumes of poetry, some of whose lines are now part of the national anthem of Tunisia. In this pleasant mausoleum paved with colorful mosaics, you will learn more about his life and read some of his poems in Arabic, but also in French.

Much more impressive is the market visit to the camels of Sebha, one of the most important of the country, where sheep and camelidae arrive from the Niger and Chad. Very impressive during the days preceding the Eid holidays. Difficult to find. The simplest is to take the outer boulevard of the city side west and then to ask the road to the Al-Jimal souk. you will have to go into a very modest area of barracks, enclos and workshops before reaching the market.

Overlooking the city and built near the airport, it was built by the Ottomans and occupied by Italian troops (1929-1943) and French (1943-1951). This garrison function is still current, and you will not be able to visit or photograph it.

From the ruins of the desert, we have a beautiful panorama on the border with Algeria and Tunisia. Originally built by the Romans, it was stormed by the Arabs at the time of their conquest of Ghadamès. Local guides or drivers can drive you there.

When the guard is not there, the door is sometimes left open. Set at the bottom of an enclosure encompassing a mosque and a large closed paddock serving as a stable, the fortress was built by the Ottomans in the th century. Originally, it was the Moroccan conquerors Aoulad Mohamed el-Fassi who, taking Mourzouk as capital in the th century, built a strong castle at the location of a defensive building. Their reign lasted until their defeat by the Ottomans at the beginning of the th century. After the Turks, Italians used the fortress before they preferred a more modern construction. Made of local materials, rubble and mud, the fortress was designed to support long seats. At the northeast corner, we will notice the killer that was used strategically to protect the entrance. We then move towards the pretty, round and closer minaret at the summit, from the small Jama'a Jouma mosque, in the style more African than Libyan, and where the inhabitants still have their prayers.

Although built by the Ottomans, the mosque is local architecture, perhaps because it interfered in its redevelopment by the Turks. The prayer room has a profusion of pillars - 25 in all -,

the quantity here to compensate for the weakness of construction materials. In front of the prayer room, the tomb of a Ottoman soldier is recognized. The old stables are closed to visitors. Once a year is the local festival of the town of Mourzouk. Before leaving, climb the staircase on the terrace of the enclosure to admire the beautiful overview.

If you go to the city centre, more specifically on the street, which overlooks the major sports stadium, you can stroll through the souk to vegetables under a large cover covered with sheet metal and between the stalls and trinkets held by women.

The kiosk of Kertassi is a small temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor or the goddess Isis. It was located 40 km south of New Kalabcha, until it was moved in 1960 by the Egyptian antiquities department during the rescue of the Nubian temples. It was to serve as a stop for the procession of the sacred boat in the Ptolemaic period, of which it is probably a contemporary. The columns of this kiosk have either papyriform or hathoric capitals. Maybe he's a contemporary of Trajan's kiosk at Philae.

This temple built by Augustus was dedicated to the gods Serapis and Isis. It was located 50 km to the north before it was relocated due to the Aswan Dam construction project in 1960. This temple was never completed, and has no inscription, so it is difficult to attribute it to the Romans. It is of modest dimensions, and consists of a hypostyle hall with fifteen columns. A terrace is accessed by a spiral staircase, which remains unique in Egyptian architecture. The temple was transformed into a church.

The temple of Dakka has been moved 40 km from its original location. It dates from several eras, including Ptolemaic and Roman. It was dedicated to Thoth.

Pylon: Augustus had it built in a disproportionate way in front of a rather modest temple; it is dug multiple chambers.

Portico: In the purest Ptolemaic style, the portico is openwork in its upper part, giving access to a classical pronaos, followed by a rectangular vestibule.

Sanctuaries: two sanctuaries follow each other, one from the Arkamani period, the second from the Augustan period.

The temple was built by Ramses II, called here "the beloved of Amon". It was originally located 4 kilometers east, where Lake Nasser is now. The temple known as "Ramses-love of Amun" served as a resting place for the sacred boat on its way down the Nile. Inspired by the lion-bodied stone sphinxes guarding the central aisle, it was named Ouadi es-Seboua, the Valley of the Lions. The temple has a progressive classical structure with three pylons.

First pylon: has disappeared, but gives access to a first courtyard lined with sphynxes with human heads topped by the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt.

Second pylon: has disappeared, but gives access to a small courtyard lined with falcon-headed sphynxes in front of which stands a statue of Ramses II; a stepped staircase extends the courtyard and leads to a terrace.

Third pylon: is still standing; one notices a monumental statue of Ramses II, on the left, flanked by his daughter Bentanat; the pylon is decorated with bas-reliefs narrating the victories of Pharaoh.

Third courtyard: surrounded by ten Osirid pillars leading to a portico by an inclined ramp.

Hypostyle hall: small hall consisting of twelve monumental pillars, overlooking a vestibule serving two side chapels and a three-part sanctuary. If Amun-Ra is worshipped there, the great gods of the time of Ramses have a special place there. The temple was transformed into a church as the representation of Saint Peter on the bas-reliefs of the sanctuary attests.

The oldest temple in Nubia, built in Dynasty 18, contains beautifully coloured bas-reliefs made under Thutmes III and IV and under Amenophis II.

Hypostyle Hall: it is reached by crossing a grey brick pylon built by Seti I to protect the temple; Thutmes IV is represented there; in front of the portico, it is Thutmes III who is represented on the walls of the temple.

Vestibule and sanctuary: it is mainly Amenhetep II who is represented on the bas-reliefs and in the sanctuary.

This small rock temple is located in the same place as the Kalabsha temple. It was built by Ramses II to be one of the first buildings used for public relations purposes. It is entered through a courtyard where Pharaoh's battles against the Nubians on the left and against the Libyans and Asians on the right are depicted. The vestibule is decorated with Ramses II presenting offerings to Hathor and Khnum. The sanctuary is decorated with Ramses facing Ra and Khnum. The small temple of Beit El Wali is in many ways fascinating.

The fortress occupies a cliff overlooking the Nile, dominating the site of Aniba, seat of the governor of the province. The first vestiges of the reign of Amenophis I are dated. The present remains are a mixture of a Coptic cathedral and an Ottoman fort commanded by Selim I. For three centuries, the descendants of the first Ottoman soldiers lived in these places, until 1811. The Aswan High Dam transformed this place into an island and drowned its surroundings. Qasr Ibrim is the only site in Lower Nubia to have survived the Nile floods.

Partly buried, the temple was built by Ramses II and was dedicated to Ra. It is remarkable for some of its colourful representations.

First hypostyle hall: it is accessed by crossing a pylon; at the back four Osirid pillars support some ceiling elements.

Second hypostyle hall: six columns supporting a reconstructed ceiling. Ramses II stands in front of a splendid ished tree. Then follows the sanctuary flanked by two side chapels. The chapel on the left is remarkable for the representation of the sacred bark of Amon.

This is one of the stops on a dahabieh cruise.

On the west bank of the Nile: numerous graffiti and stelae show the importance of this place of worship where, as the flood raged, Hâpy and the elephantine triad, considered to be the masters of the river, were celebrated. Three sanctuaries built by Merenptah, Seti ^I and Ramses II have survived in part, and the ceilings still retain their colors.

On the east bank of the Nile: impressive sandstone quarries, stelae and ex-voto statues.

At the top of this hill of granite blocks where hieroglyphics and pharaonic drawings can still be seen very clearly, a stele tells of a particularly difficult episode in the reign of Djeser (3rd dynasty) in the year 19. On this rock, recognizable by the fault that crosses it in the middle from left to right, about 40 lines of hieroglyphs evoke the terrible drought that had been raging for seven years to the despair of the king and the population. Here is an excerpt: "I was in sorrow on my throne.... My heart was in such great sorrow because the Nile had not come in time for seven years. The grain was scarce, the seeds were dried up, all we had to eat was in meager quantity. "The priests believe that the angry god Khnum, who is holding back the waters of the Nile, is responsible. To appease him, Djeser is seen making offerings to the god. The scriptures detail the dream of the most important priest of the kingdom in which the deity appears and promises the return of the water. The next day, the king passes a decree to renovate the temple of Khnum on Elephantine Island and to furnish it more regularly with offerings.

Panorama of the old dam. Climbing on this rocky hill (forget the flip-flops, by the way) also gives a better understanding of what the Nile and Nubia looked like before the Aswan dam wanted by Nasser. The first flat island just in front of it was then under water.

Halfway between Cairo and Luxor, Asyut was the starting point for the caravans that went to the oases. Formerly called Lycopolis, the Greeks commemorated the cult of Oupouaout, who was seen as the protector of the city. This deity is represented in the form of a canid. The burial caves, which can be seen on the site, are dug into the mountain walls and are thought to contain the tombs of the pharaohs of Dynasties IX, X and XII, such as Chety I and II. The tomb of Meir contains the tomb of the Princes of Qusseia.

Built between 1964 and 1970, this impressive dam has pharaonic dimensions: 3,600 m long, 111 m high, 980 m wide at the base, reduced to 40 m at the top. It was President Nasser's project, carried out with the help of Soviet Russia. Today, it produces between 5 and 7% of the country's energy with 12 generators. It was built to manage the Nile's high water levels, prevent flooding and create a water reserve. It has been blamed for reducing the Nile's silt content. Its construction caused major displacement of the population and archaeological sites.

Early in the morning, the square turns into a gigantic cattle fair where, in a feverish atmosphere, the merchants count their tickets and engage in a noisy bidding war. A sale of leather whips, skillfully woven, is organized. The camel market itself is held twice a week, on Saturdays and Sundays, and the rest of the week the place is transformed into a market of cows, sheep, goats... Introduced by the Greeks, camels are not among the animals originally used by the Egyptians.

To the west of the enclosure, some three hundred meters north of that of his father Seti ^I, Ramses II had a small temple built, comprising a courtyard, 2 hypostyle halls and side chapels. On the pylon, the king had his victory at the Battle of Qadesh depicted. Despite the loss of the upper parts of the walls, the lower parts show remarkable decoration. Its architecture is classical and its layout follows that of Theban funerary temples. In 2023, 2,000 mummified rams' heads from the Ptolemaic era were discovered.

The Osirion Cenotaph is a curious edifice, built in line with the central chapel of Amun Ra in the temple of Sety ^I, and buried underground. It was accessed via a hundred-meter-long corridor, opposite to the current view of the site. Today, the temple is reached via a long, gently sloping corridor, the walls of which are covered with texts from the "Book of Gates" and the "Book of Caverns". A cenotaph was not intended to contain a body, but a symbolic tomb for souls, so this was Osiris' spiritual tomb. It was conceived as an island, the plan of which is repeated in The Secret of the Great Pyramid when Blake and Mortimer reach the secret chamber.

The vestibule gave access to a water-filled moat, surrounded by 17 niches. On the symbolic island, covered by a ceiling supported by ten massive pillars, the architect excavated the fictitious location of Osiris' sarcophagus, as well as the fictitious location of the canopic vases containing the God's viscera. Crossing the water-filled moat again, we reach the cenotaph of Sety ^I. The themes depicted on the walls are a mark of respect for Horus, the reconstitution of the divine body, and the transmission of royal power from Osiris to Horus, and thus to Pharaoh. You can go down there if you wish, water levels permitting. The last room, known as the "sarcophagus", features an astronomical ceiling with a representation of the goddess Nut.

Ramses IV reigned for six years, during which time he built this beautiful tomb with its remarkable granite sarcophagus. Note the superb scenes painted with the goddess Nut on the astronomical ceiling, symbolizing rebirth with perfectly preserved colors. Nut swallows the solar disk and it emerges through her feet, symbolizing the daily renewal of sunrise and sunset. Coptic graffiti, created by monks at the very beginning of the Christian era when they were inventing monasticism, are also noteworthy.

In the center of Nouadhibou, in the old quarters, the central market is a real anthill where you can find superb handicrafts. Chests, bracelets and jewelry are offered for sale. You will have to take your time and have a good sense of negotiation! You will also find beautiful fabrics, which seamstresses will be happy to work on to make the garment of your choice. The most difficult thing will be to choose among the countless colors and patterns available!

Like Ouadane, Oualata and Chinguetti, Tichitt is full of century-old manuscripts with delicate illuminations, witnesses of a past and splendid period, during which the religious studied Islam, sciences and other fields, in the greatest seriousness. You can visit one of these libraries, modest in appearance but containing treasures of calligraphy, preserved with great difficulty for centuries. A guard will put on thick gloves before gently manipulating the pages of these manuscripts before your amazed eyes.

Like the three other ancient cities of Mauritania, Ouadane, Chinguetti and Tichitt, Oualata is home to treasures in its library, preserved by chance and with care by the inhabitants through time, sometimes with the means at hand! In the room to the right are old manuscripts belonging to the four families of Oualata. Opposite is the library of Taleb Boubekar, traditional chief of the city, who died around 1915. This library is full of centuries old writings, vestiges of another time.

There is no need to show you the way to get there: perched on a promontory, you can see it clearly while you are still 30 minutes from Oualata. Built in 1912, it successively housed the French army during the pacification of the region, then political prisoners from the independence of Mauritania. Since 1990, the authorities have closed this prison. The triangular building is impressive and appears to be in a perfect state of preservation, seen from the outside. Inside, around the courtyard, the prisoners' cells are scattered. It is hard to imagine what the conditions of the men incarcerated here were like not so long ago. A small opening allowing a little light to pass through, a living space reduced to a minimum, because the cells were crowded, the diseases, the heat and the mistreatment must have made the life expectancy very limited. One comes out of this fort with shivers down one's spine.

It is possible to admire Oualata by taking the stairs on the left, just after the entrance of the fort. You are then on the roof of the cells! Going back down from the fort towards Oualata, on the right, the French cemetery shelters a dozen graves, among which the one of Bonnel de Mézières who administered the region at the beginning of the ^XXth century. Passionate about archaeology, he contributed greatly to the excavations carried out at Aoudaghost and Koumbi Saleh.

Warning: Before considering a visit, inquire about the feasibility of the site with local tourism professionals.

Several private libraries exist in Ouadane. You will discover there superb manuscripts. One of the most interesting is certainly that of Sidi Mohamed Ould Abidin Sidi (✆ +222 44 95 52 10). He likes to repeat that the conservation of these treasures faces many obstacles, the first of which is himself! So there is no reason to blame him for showing only manuscripts that are only 2 or 3 centuries old: he has the rightness of mind to keep the oldest ones safe, to show them only to researchers. Who can blame him?

We should rather speak of the buildings of the fort, because it is a set of several constructions that constitutes the former French garrison at the time of colonization. In January 1909, Chinguetti fell into the hands of the French legionnaires who, 10 years later, built Fort Claudel, in honor of one of their commanders. The most important building of the fort is made up of imposing pillars that support beautiful arcades. The Claudel post, rehabilitated in 1983, bears witness to the colonial architectural heritage in Mauritania.

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.

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.

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.

Don't miss the market of Douz, on Thursday morning, where the city comes alive and vibrates differently. It is one of the most important markets in this region. Here you will meet men straight out of the desert, draped in their colorful chèches. The market occupies the central square and street, it is a vast place of exposure for the salesmen who do not seek to bait the tourist, even if one finds there some stalls of craft industry. Do not hesitate to drink a coffee at the edge of the street, you will take full eyes. You will see nomads coming to sell their fruits and vegetables produced in one of the oasis of the region, as well as merchants of handicraft clothes quite famous. But it is especially for its market with the animals, located below, on a place adjoining the palm plantation, that this day attracts the farmers of all the area. At the foot of the palm trees, sheep, chickens and rabbits are jostling each other in great numbers in an atmosphere full of cries, colors and unexpected smells. Depending on the season, you will also see camels. An incredible crowd of people crowds around the animals. Older men chat or play cross-legged games while waiting for a potential buyer to show up, while younger ones watch the eager animals. The children are busy selling rabbits and chickens, giving them a chance to learn their trade. A market as it is rare to see, and a 100% local experience, because you will cross here few tourists.