Ténéré Desert
Lifeless sand dunes where veiled ‘Blue Men’ trade in salt lie at the very heart of the Sahara Desert.
Land so devoid of life that it has been called the ‘desert within the desert’ lies just about as far from the sea as is possible in the Sahara. In the Ténéré Desert of land-locked Niger, rolling oceans of sand dunes, some as high as 800ft (244m), flow towards the horizon and lead to still more dunes in a seemingly endless progression. But like the Sahara as a whole, there is more to the Ténéré than just sand.
In an area the size of California, there are also gravel-covered plateaus blasted by desert wind, and fantastic rock formations linkened by one traveller to goblins, ogres and demons. On the eastern edge of the Ténéré, the oasis village of Bilma is the starting point for the camel caravans of the Tuareg who trek for 560km (350miles) across the desert carrying salt to trade in the market centre of Agadez. Bilma has given its name to the Grand Erg of Bilma—a vast expanse of sand extending eastwards for 1200km (750miles) from Niger into Chad. The Erg’s southern half consists of seif dunes—enormous parallel sand ridges—as much as 160km (100miles) long and 1km wide. The troughs between the dunes are known as gassis, and are used as routes by the caravan traders.
The nomadic Tuareg who roam this hostile environment are known as the ‘Blue Men’, from the covering of their faces—a costume that may have evolved as a protection against a day spent on camel back in the searing Sahara sun and wind—the dye of the cloth which swathes their heads and faces rubs off on their skin, hence their nickname.
~ JM
Image Credit: Camel Caravan by George Steinmetz for National Geographic. Sourced from http://bit.ly/1LQDKzm on 30/5/15
More Info: Sahara Salt Caravan: http://bit.ly/1AFpdFu Niger - Across the Tenere with Tuareg Camel Caravan: http://bit.ly/1cr3TI9 Ténéré: http://bit.ly/1eIOJzQ Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves: http://bit.ly/IESFRw