Tassili plateau

An oued running water in the southern Tassili plateau. Tassili plateau is one of the most awesome geological places in the world, it posseses a wide range of rocky textures of volcanic origin.

A small formation of sand dunes lost in the middle of the rocky landscape in the Tassili plateau. Many tress grow along the oued which descends from the north.

Ennedi

Southern Ennedi from the air...

Bedouin pottery

Some examples of pottery made by egyptian bedouins: casseroles, pitchers, a vessel, a jar and an ewer.

Three photographs showing bedouin women carrying pitchers.

Poste Maurice Cortier (Bidon 5)

Tanezrouft, located west of the Ahaggar massif, is the one of the most arid regions in the Sahara. In that place, there are the remainings of an abandoned french gas station for airplanes that travelled to the south. This place is
called Poste Maurice Cortier, but also known as Bidon 5 because it was signaled with a number 5 upon a bidon, for this was the fifth beacon in the road between Reggane and Tessalit. It feels strange that this place is still marked as a village in the maps; in some simple maps found in books it even is signaled with the same circle as Tamanrasset, a town with several dozens of thousands of inhabitants.

Well, if you are lost in the desert in urgent need of water, and you see this "town" in your map, I think you shouldn't go there for getting water...

PD: In the year 1809 were found the corpses of 2000 caravaneers and 1800 camels in the Tanezrouft. To get lost in a desert that lacks landmarks is a real danger for the caravans.

Touareg takouba swords

Saharan swords and daggers crafted by touareg and teda peoples have a straight blade with two edges, in similarity with european blade weapons and unlike arabian blade weapons, which have a single-edged curved blade.

Three touareg swords known as takouba. The upper sword has a sheath lined with engraved leather, while the sword itself is austere. The center sword has also a leathered sheath, but the manufacture is rude in both sheath and sword. The bottom sword, presented with no sheath, is a finely elaborated piece, with decorative engravings and applications.

The saharan biome

The Sahara desert presents a variety of different elements within its biome:

Ergs (the erg of  Tenere)

Gueltas (guelta Archei in Ennedi)

Valleys (a valley in Air mountains)

Rock formations (a basaltic rock tower in Ahaggar)

Plateaus and mesas (surroundings of Fada oasis, in Ennedi)

Oueds (an oued covered with vegetation in Tassili-n-Ajjer)

Canyons (a canyon in Tassili-n-Ajjer)

Volcanic calderas (Trou au Natron in Tibesti)