Crossing the Sahara desert by small steps
Sahara
– The Sahara: An Ocean of Stone and Sand:
As the largest hot desert on the planet, the Sahara spreads its immense reach over more than 9 million square kilometers across the entire northern tier of Africa. Contrary to the popular image of an endless sea of dunes, sand (ergs) actually covers only about 20% of its surface. The rest is a raw, dramatic mosaic of rocky plateaus (regs), volcanic mountains, and gravel plains.
– A Shifting Desert Born from a Lush Past:
The Sahara is a living, ever-evolving landscape. Driven by climate cycles and powerful winds, its borders continue to expand year after year, slowly encroaching on the Sahel to the south. Yet, this arid giant hides a fascinating secret: it was not always a desert. Only a few millennia ago, the Sahara was a lush savanna dotted with lakes, rivers, and abundant wildlife. The witnesses to this green past remain permanently etched into the rock. Through stunning prehistoric rock engravings and paintings, the desert’s ancient inhabitants left us the story of a time when elephants, giraffes, and hippopotamuses roamed lands that have now turned to dust.
– The Realm of the Blue Men:
In the face of such extreme aridity, life has stubbornly found a way. For centuries, nomadic populations, most notably the famous Tuaregs, have mastered the art of surviving in this hostile environment. Guided by a flawless knowledge of the stars, hidden water holes, and the secrets of the desert, these “Blue Men” continue to keep their ancient traditions alive as they navigate this endless wilderness.
Algeria: The Tadrart Rouge, a window to the Sahara and its history
Larger than Australia with its 8 million square kilometres, the Sahara has not always been the biggest hot desert on the planet. About 15,000 years ago, it was a green period brought about by a warming phase that had intensified evaporation from the top of the ocean and pushed the monsoons into the heart of the North African continent. The arid landscapes that we know today were then covered by large lakes and rich vegetation. Elephants were living there, as well as hippos, crocodiles and humans too. Those ones, as to immortalize this full of life period, have drawn paintings and engravings cut out of rock. These testimonies of the past are omnipresent in Tadrart Rouge. Indeed, this Sahara’s fragment is located in south-eastern Algeria and offers the vision of over 15,000 engravings to the brave who dare adventuring themselves into there. Over the sand dunes and rocky peaks, the traveller will discover, at the same time as breathtaking landscapes, a touching testimony of the past.
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Tea time for the Tuaregs of the algerian sahara desert
Tea time for the Touaregs of the algerian sahara desert
The preparation of tea is a ritual of extreme refinement among the Tuaregs. Using the same leaves, three consecutive tea are prepared. The flavors of each tea evolve infusion after infusion.
A Tuareg saying says: “The first is bitter like life; the second is sweet like love; and the third is gentle like the breath of death.”.
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Morocco: Erg Chebbi, the Merzouga’s dunes
Erg Chebbi (Arabic: عرق الشبي) is one of Morocco’s two Saharan ergs – large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. This Erg is also knowed as “The Merzougas Dunes” beccause the proximity of Merzouga village. The dunes of Erg Chebbi reach a height of up to 150 meters in places and altogether spans an area of 50 kilometers from north to south and up to 5–10 kilometers from east to west lining the Algerian border.