Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Sahara

One of the most beautiful tombs. Vizier under Amenophis IV, who later became Akhenaton, his tomb was never completed. 32 columns support the ceiling of the vestibule, and a further 8 in the room leading to the chapel of the deceased. The sculpted bas-reliefs are impressive in their finesse: observe the hair and eye contours. At the far end is a representation of Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti and their children presenting an offering to Aten; the grapes of the one god have been broken so that his blessing no longer benefits the heretic Pharaoh.

This tomb is 188 m long. It was built for Pharaoh Ramses III of the ^20th dynasty. He reigned for thirty-one years. The mystery of his death has long puzzled researchers, as he always fought against corruption and invaders from the peoples of the sea... But it was recently discovered, in 2012, that he was assassinated by a conspiracy fomented by several members of his harem, including his third wife Tiyi. The pharaoh's successor should have been his first wife's child, not Tiyi's, Pentaour. The coup d'état was therefore aimed at eliminating Ramesses III to prevent the future Ramesses IV, then aged 45, from ascending the throne...

Nevertheless, it was he who built the splendid temple known as Medinat Abu. Four successive corridors lead to the burial chamber. At the end of the second corridor, the architects came up against an earlier tomb, that of Amenmés, and had to modify their trajectory in parallel for the third corridor. This tomb struck a chord with the Scottish archaeologist who discovered it at the end of the ^18th century, not least for its depictions of harpists, which earned it its current nickname, "Tomb of the Harpists". The granite sarcophagus of King Ramses III is preserved in the Louvre. His mummy was also found in 1881 in the hiding place at Deir al Bahari, where the priests had hidden it for fear of the increasing looting by local peasants. It is now on display in Cairo.

At 105 m deep, the tomb was built for the remains of Pharaoh Ramses IX, penultimate ruler of the ^20th Dynasty. Three corridors lead to the vestibule, which precedes the burial chamber. This tomb is renowned for its decorations borrowed from various ritual books. The astrological ceiling in the first corridor is remarkable. The goddess Nut runs along the three successive corridors, recognizable by her five-pointed star. The sarcophagus has disappeared. The mummy, hidden in Deir al Bahari, was found in 1881. It is now on display in Cairo.

Entry 20 SDG. We must maginer what Frédéric Cailliaud had to feel about these pyramids, almost 200 years ago! At that time, they were in better condition and still had their summit. Let's say at the outset that the site of Merowe is Exceptional and that it retains a colourful environment and environment different from those that can be found in Egypt. The grey (very) gray stone and the orange (very) orange orange highlight its singular character. However, these pyramids, which were originally more than 200 copies in the region, do not have the dimensions of their great Egyptian sisters. They are different. More pentues, filled with embankment (the burial chamber is underneath and not in), and with a chapel adorned with tower towers, east oriented and is supposed to lead, via a false door, to the last resting place of the deceased, or the deceased. Because the candaces, these mythical queens of Merowe, were also entitled to their personal pyramid. The dead, in Egyptian fashion, were represented in the form of the Bâ bird, which had their head.

By visiting the various chapels, don't miss to observe the little marvels of bas-reliefs inspired by the Book of the Dead. As, for example, the only Sudanese representation of the soul, where the heart of the sovereign is placed on the balance and compared with the pen of Mâat, under the gaze of Anubis and Osiris… If you are passionate (and you have time) know that there is a pyramid whose height of angle has the hieroglyphic name d'Amun, another with, on an exterior wall of its chapel, a model of the angle used by architects to build these buildings, and one with the representation of a grape cluster and a jar, some of which bad languages say it was a boss to draw rich queens!!

Pyramids, there are many styles. First in stairs, in the south, they become smooth to the north. Archaeologists have reconstituted some of them in anastylose, giving a good idea, with their cream colour foam coating, what to look like the site originally. It should be noted that there are historically several necropolises in the region. The oldest (and the oldest), which probably dates from the beginning of the kingdom of Merowe, towards the th century BC, is located more west of the main site, near the Nile and above all the former royal city (see below). You will also notice, on the main site, several more remote pyramids in the southeast. Those that are aligned along the ridge, these pyramids that are seen by far from the road, are the most "recent" and in better condition.

The last thing about summits. The elements are not solely responsible for their disappearance! In 1834, Giuseppe Ferlini, an Italian fighter fighter, had the idea of ététer the pyramids with dynamite, believing that he would find thousand riches there. After he had massacred many, to the point that many seem to be about to collapse, one confirmed his hopes. That of Queen Amanishakheto, now known for her "treasure".

The site is more than 500 m from the road. Temple merchants sell souvenirs but you won't find any groceries. So think about bringing water and food. Sands will certainly invite you to climb on their camels (sorry, we don't know "dromadairiers"). An original experience on an extraordinary site! But that will not be free. Get ready to negotiate if you are interested.

For photos, if you are on the site at the sunrise, think of climbing one of the hills to the east to get a remarkable overview. In the evening, the orange light is simply magic.

Nearby Korioumé, the port of Timbuktu is a family of hippos. It is the only place where we can observe them from afar. Finally, if you are lucky…

This magnificent dune plunges into the waters of the river. The site is accessible by canoe. There are also beautiful beaches in the surrounding area. The best time to go is the sunset. Take an hour to get there. Plan between CFAF 20 000 and CFAF 25 000.

Located 15 km from Nefta, Oung Jemel (or "camel's neck") is famous for the sets of the movie Star Wars, at the GPS point 33° 59' 32" N - 7° 50' 41" in the middle of the chott Garsa. The site is quite surreal. You will see the Chott el-Gharsa, this saline depression generating mirages. You will find Mos Espa, the hometown of Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader) because it is where the first Star Wars movie was shot. The #SaveMosEspa campaign helped save the film's sets from being buried by the advancing dunes, which are moving 50 feet a year.

They are hypogeums that can be seen from the cities, hanging on the hillside on the other side of the river. They house the tombs of powerful monarchs from the end of the Old Kingdom to the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The tombs are located on the hillside, under the mausoleum of Ali Ben el-Hawa, which can be seen at the top. The place is in a poor state of conservation and the monuments have no information panels. Feel free to insist that the rooms be opened to you. On-site guides will not do it on their own.

Located in the southwest corner of the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Sety II was dug a few meters from that of his wife Taousert. It is 75 m deep. It was partially unfinished at the time of his death. It takes up the same architectural canons of the other rectilinear tombs in which three corridors precede a vestibule, a funerary chamber. It was probably not Seti II who was buried there, for his name was largely erased from the cartouches in the tomb; the jealous work of Amenmes who succeeded him.

This superb but small tomb measures just 30 m in length and comprises just 3 chambers. It contained 3,000 pieces of the deceased's funerary furniture. Tutankhamun was hastily placed here in the surprise of his death. Only the burial chamber is represented. The 12 baboons depicted come from the Book of Amdouat and represent each of the 12 hours of the journey to the afterlife. Most of the treasure will be on display at the GEM in Cairo, but the red quartzite sarcophagus and the mummy are still on site.

This is the site where the famous well, disappeared today, kept by the old Buctou.

Legend tells that two brothers of the same mother, but not the same father (one songhai, the other tamashek) had decided to fight. The mother tried to interfere, but they didn't hear it. God would then have turned into a rock.

It is a small cylindrical stone. This is where the people came to make sacrifices when the village had problems.

It is said that a prophet came to pray near the cave. When he began his prayers, a dog began to bark and the prophet had no time to finish. By entering the cave, the visitor can discover some paintings that represent the traces of the hands and feet of the prophet. According to legend, the place could have been Mecca if the prophet had finished his prayer.

This crystalline massif, located in the heart of the desert, is located in one of the most beautiful regions of the Sahara. The landscape, lunar, consists of large black rocks and craters. Tuareg huts and wells are one of the few animations in this sorry spectacle. The Tuareg of the Adrar are legendary hospitality.

The Adrar can only be a reason for travel to Mali. The Adrar has many rock engravings of great aesthetic quality that represent the fauna that lived there 6 000 years ago: elephants, rhino, giraffes… Today only few rare headlines still haunt the rocky walls of the massif. They also include gazelles, antelopes, hyenas, and several species of snakes.

4 km north of the railway line between Nouadhibou and Choûm, at kilometer 395, Ben Amira is one of the most breathtaking places in Mauritania. It is the largest monolith in Africa (over 600 m) and the third largest in the world, after Uluru and Mount Augustus in Australia. The legend says that originally there was only one monolith and that during the "divorce", the man would have stayed with the 2 children (the 2 smaller monoliths), while the woman, Aisha, would have left with her servant to settle 5 km further...

Khaemhat was royal scribe and inspector of the royal granaries during the reign of Amenophis III, whose 38-year reign was marked by peace, wealth and power. His highly ornamented tomb reveals rural scenes and religious representations, such as the sacrifice of geese. Among the bas-reliefs adorning the walls of his tomb are several depictions of the agrarian goddess Renenoutet, in the guise of a snake-headed woman suckling her son. Khaemhat took great care to ensure that this goddess watched over his final resting place.