Maximilien Bruggmann and his team during the Blaka mission (1969) in Wadi Mathendous (Libya). From 1961 to 2003, Maximilien Bruggmann undertook 18 expeditions to the Sahara. He created two films, took several thousand photos and illustrated four large books. The Equipe Mission Blaka in front of the famous tail crocodile with a length of 2.25 m in the Wadi Mathendous: Philippe Roulet, Jean-Claude Bourgeon, Eva Bruggmann, Zoumri, Jean Garzoni, Maximilien Bruggmann - Libya - 1969

Tracks in the sand on the way to the submarine. Two Land Rovers were involved in the 1968/1969 expedition "Mission Blaka". Seven prehistoric sites were discovered. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Evening mood over the Enneri Blaka. View from the base camp at the submarine. - Niger - 1968

"Le gran cirque" - A section of the Enneri Blaka resembles a large circle in which there are large rock formations, like islands in the sea. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

There is no more water flowing in the Wadi Enneri Blaka. Instead, the steady wind has shaped the sand into waves. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1969

Sand dunes and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Enneri Blaka is located in the flat Djado massif in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Niger. In 1956, the Meharists Lamothe and Moreau had discovered various rock engravings on a large, remote rock in the Enneri Blaka and reported them. When the Berliet-Ténéré mission passed by in 1960, some members made an inventory of this interesting site. They named the unusual-looking rock "Le sous-marin" (The Submarine) and called it Blaka Site 1. They discovered two other interesting sites nearby. During the T4 mission of 1966/67, we visited the three sites discovered by the Berliet mission to take film and photographs. About 1700 m north of the "submarine" we found a new station, which we called Site 4. It was a very large, hammered elephant. We could not continue our search in this area because we had too little fuel and too little time to get to the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad. An idea was born: We should return and search the Enneri Blaka thoroughly, where we would most likely discover more new sites. In 1968/69, during the Blaka mission, another 7 stations were found and documented (See plan). Our last mission to explore Enneri Blaka took place in 1975. 3 new stations were found. By this time, a total of 14 sites had been documented.

Sun-dried shrub found at site 4 - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

The "West Island" in the big ring. Site 8 is located in a shelter of these rocks. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Another view of the "West Island" in the big ring. Here the site 8 is in a shelter of these rocks. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Sand dunes with waves and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

91 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Deer. Ancient painting in the rock shelter "Sous-marin". In addition to the beauty of the work, it is worth noting the presence of this clearly southern herbivore in a place where it no longer occurs. Length: 0.25 m.

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