Algeria – Jewel of the Sahara

Algiers
Algiers enjoys an enviable location, located on a series of hills overlooking the Mediterranean, and is one of the most attractive cities of North Africa. Founded by the Phoenicians and conquered by Rome, it has seen its fair share of invaders over the years, all of which have left it imbued with a rich and varied cultural heritage. During the 18^th and early 19^th century it was a notorious haven for the pirates of Barbary, who preyed on merchant ships along the coast, prompting intervention from the French and the annexation of Algeria in an early example of European colonial involvement in Africa. Under their rule some impressive buildings were constructed, giving the city a rather European feel in places – the whitewashed buildings, blue shutters and wide avenues are more reminiscent of Marseilles than Marrakech. Most interesting of all is the Casbah, a maze of narrow winding streets, Ottoman mosques and palaces that is the heart of old Algiers. This was an area of fierce resistance against the French during the resistance of the 1960s, and for many years was considered out of bounds to visitors, but it is now accessible with a guide and one of the most enigmatic parts of the city.

Tassili n’Ajjer
The Tassili n’Ajjer is one of the most beautiful parts of the Sahara, nestled in the south east corner of Algeria. The word ‘tassili’ refers to pinnacles of eroded sandstone, shaped by millennia of wind and abrasion, while the Ajjer are one of the twelve Tuareg tribes, who have traditionally made their home in this area.

This is a land of golden deserts, huge rocky outcrops, dramatic arches, huge pinnacles of basalt and bright blue skies. May people call this the largest open air art gallery in the world on account of the concentration of cave paintings and engravings in the region. Highlights of the region include the gorge of Essendilene, one of the most beautiful places in the Algerian Sahara; located in a strange lunar landscape of great geological interest, this site has one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings record the climatic changes, the animal migrations and the evolution of human life on the edge of the Sahara from 6000 BC to the first centuries of the present era. The geological formations are of outstanding scenic interest, with eroded sandstones forming ‘forests of rock’.

The Tuareg
The Tuareg inhabit the Saharan regions of North Africa – Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Burkina Faso. Tuareg is an Arabic term meaning abandoned by God. They call themselves Imohag, translated as free men. No one knows the true origin of the Tuareg, where they came from or when they arrived in the Sahara. Reputedly of Berber descent, the language of the Tuareg is Tamachek, with their own script known as Tifinagh, thought to have ancient Libyan roots. Their numbers are unclear, but estimates run between 300,000 and 1 million. The Tuareg were recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th Century BC.

The most striking attribute of the Tuareg is the indigo veil, worn by the men but not the women, giving rise to the popular name the Blue Men of the Sahara, or Men of the Veil. Men begin wearing a veil at the age 25.

One of the traditional dances of the nomadic Tuareg is the ‘Tam Tam’ where the men on camel circle the women while they play drums and chant. The huts of the Tuareg nomad are easily constructed, and comprised of weaved matting and tradition fabrics on a timber frame.

Although most Tuareg now practice some degree of Islam – the Maliki sect of Islam, resulting from the teachings of the great prophet El Maghili from the early 16th century – they are not considered Arabic. They have preserved many pre-Islamic traditions and do not strictly follow many Islamic rituals. Among the Tuareg the women have a great freedom and participate in family and tribal decisions. Descent and inheritance are both through the maternal line.

Tuareg camel caravans played the primary role in trans-Saharan trade until the mid-20th century when European colonial infrastructure – railways and roads – were introduced.

Tadrart
Considered to be the pearl of Tassili N’Ajjer, the Tadrart desert, with its huge canyons, sculpted cliffs and colourful sand dunes is one of the most impressive parts of the central Sahara. Traces of rock paintings and engravings date back over 12,000 years, reflecting marked changes in the flora and fauna, and the different ways of life of the populations that succeeded one another in this region of the Sahara.