Caravan leaving for Gouloukou - Gouloukou is marked on the map! The sound of the name is reminiscent of gurgling water. This is not surprising: Gouloukou is a fountain where tadpoles like to have fun. - Niger / between Aïr and Ténéré / 1999

Guelta of Enghar - Probably the coldest water in the Aïr! The sun never shines into the depths of this rock cleft on the trail to Toufouchi. - Niger / Aïr / 2001

Guelta of Agamgam - Among volcanic walls, clan chief Abakaoua leads his camels to a drinking hole and its amazingly fresh, cool water.

Where there’s water, there's life - The waterhole of Iffazane offers a rare treasure: water, which provides for fresh greenery throughout the year. - Niger / Aïr / 2002

Return from the well - The donkeys are tired, the water odres are full and the sun approaches its zenith: a common sight on the track between Iferouâne and Arlit. - Niger / Aïr / 2003

Targuia at the fountain of Tezirzek - Between the high plateau of the Aïr Mountains and the Ténéré, the Tezirkek fountain attracts nomads and their animals. Unlike the men, the women do not wear a headscarf. - Niger / between Aïr and Ténéré / 2003

The camp Bechar is situated at the well of Zakkat - Niger

Waterhole of Eres near Temet, Niger - Canisters are filled with the precious water by the Tuaregs and then transported by camels.

The well of Guelta Timia - Niger

Guelta Iffazane - Niger - Water springs from the ground and flows through several degrees into a small lake.

Here at the guelta one can find the precious liquid, even when the river dries up. - Guelta Baloumat / Aïr / Niger

Filling up with water for people and camels at the Takarit well. (Oued Takarit / Aïr / Niger)

«Water is life» – filling the guerba, made of goat leather. (Guelta Baloumat / Aïr / Niger)

This Tuareg boy´s hair plaits are consecrated to Allah. - Campement Abakaoua / Puits de Faris / Tezirzek / Aïr / Niger

The guelta of Agamgam, last station before crossing the Ténéré. - Aïr / Niger

Touareg woman at the well of Faris - Aïr / Niger

Aïr / Tamgak / The relaxation In the mountains, men finally find the time and the place of a real relax where water and fire get married.

Aïr / Toufouchi / Pantry Food and cooking utensils are placed high to protect them against animals. All the containers come from nature, except the pot.

Zakkat / Building a roof In the oases, the nomads exchange meat and milk for the grain of the gardeners and the tools of the blacksmiths. The huts are often made of straw and leaves.

Aïr / Camp Chanounou / A veil of respect To guide the ancestral way of life, tradition and freedom are combined with respect for each other.

Toufouchi / Gift of the sky In the shade of a tree, swinging gently in a goat skin hanging from a supple branch, the young child is the object of all attention.

Toufouchi / The school of life In order to participate in the life of the camp, the girl learns the necessary skills at an early age so she can help the family. Here she is preparing to grind millet in a mortar.

Well
Each well is a privileged point where the nomads meet. In the immensity of the great desert, it is also the secret of the initiates: Find it if you can! The unfortunate who has embarked on an adventure with a rope too short is likely to die of thirst at its side.
Algeria - Immidir - Hassi Meniet - 1965

Well of the Ténéré tree
At the bottom of this 36 meters deep well, the water is of poor quality, but necessary for caravaneers. It is brought to the surface by muscle power or with the help of animals.
Niger - Tenere - 1967

The well of Edjef in the province of Illizi in Algeria. - 1962

At the well of Tarat - Tarat is a village in the municipality of Illizi in the province of Illizi in Algeria. It is located near the border with Libya next to a wadi on the eastern edge of the Tassili n'Ajjer mountains. - Algeria – 1962

A watering hole in the Djanet region. - Algeria - 1962

At the Guelta of Séfar, Targui Hosseinie is busy raising water. - Algeria - 1966

At the well of Oumm al-Aranib in Fezzan, a winch is used to lift the drinking water. - Libya - 1964

Grain sprouts between the date palms. The sedentary leads a hard, miserable life, he is a slave to his land. For days he draws water from the bottom of the well and empties it into the seguias, the irrigation channels that run through the cultivated land. - Chad - 1967

This Tubu woman from the Bardaï oasis, Tibesti, pours the water from her “dellou” into a seguia, the gutter that irrigates the garden she maintains. The rope to which the “dellou” is attached is fixed to the end of a long wooden pendulum weighted with a stone at the other end, so as to form a pendulum. This is a long, tedious and arduous task which, with countless variations, is repeated in all the oases over the entire surface of the Sahara, between the Red Sea and the Atlantic. The only exception is the land of feggaguir (plural of foggara), long underground canals leading to the open air in the oasis; they were dug by man and sunk to the places where it was possible to drain a little water. There are 360 kilometres of canals in the oasis of Aoulef alone. But in all other cases, the “chadouf”, with its pendulum, is the typical hydraulic device of the oases. The most astute use a donkey, an ox or a camel to bring up the “dellou” full of water from the bottom of the well. - Chad - 1967

Humans and animals feast on the delicious water at Guelta Mourzo. Note the steep rock face that prevents the sun's rays from entering, thus keeping evaporation to a minimum. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Achegour is a regionally important water point on the northern Aïr-Bilma route between the Arbre du Ténéré and Dirkou in the Kaouar valley in northern Niger. The well is located in the middle of a sandy depression of the Falaise mountain range of Achegouar in the Ténéré desert. The water level is about 2-3 m deep. The water is slightly salty, but drinkable. Camels, however, drink the water only reluctantly. There are several acacias and tamarisk trees at the well of Achegour. - Ténéré - Niger - 1975

Essendilène is a now uninhabited oasis in the Algerian Sahara and belongs to the Tassili Cultural Park, the largest of the Algerian national parks. The oasis is located in a gorge of the Tassili n'Ajjer, about a hundred kilometres northwest of Djanet. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The wadi of Ihérir is an oasis inhabited since the Neolithic period, located in the Tassili n'Ajjer Cultural Park in southern Algeria. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and a Human and Biosphere Reserve in 1986, Ihérir is the only real watering hole in this desert region. The Ihérir Valley is home to an exceptional landscape of wadis, gueltas and lush vegetation. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The wadi of Ihérir is an oasis inhabited since the Neolithic period, located in the Tassili n'Ajjer Cultural Park in southern Algeria. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and a Human and Biosphere Reserve in 1986, Ihérir is the only real watering hole in this desert region. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The wadi of Ihérir is an oasis inhabited since the Neolithic period, located in the Tassili n'Ajjer Cultural Park in southern Algeria. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and a Human and Biosphere Reserve in 1986, Ihérir is the only real watering hole in this desert region. The Ihérir Valley is home to an exceptional landscape of wadis, gueltas and lush vegetation. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The wadi of Ihérir is an oasis inhabited since the Neolithic period, located in the Tassili n'Ajjer Cultural Park in southern Algeria. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and a Human and Biosphere Reserve in 1986, Ihérir is the only real watering hole in this desert region. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

Another route over the Tafilalet pass also leads to the high plateau of the Tassili. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

Waterhole between the rocks near In-Aouanrhet. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The caravan stops at Guelta Agamgam - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The dromedaries quench their thirst at the Guelta Agamgam - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The Guelta Agamgam between rock faces - Aïr - Niger - 1992

The last large waterhole is in the Oued Takarit. Here you "fill up" with as much water as possible before entering the large sea of dunes of Erg Izane. - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The last large waterhole is in the Oued Takarit. As much water as possible is "refuelled" here before heading into the large sea of dunes of Erg Izane. - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The well of Faris. Right beside it grows an Aborak tree, a desert date palm (Balanites aegyptiaca) - Air - Niger - 1992

Dromedaries quench their thirst at a waterhole in the Temet region - Niger - Aïr - 2003

Instead of the traditional guerbas, modern water canisters are filled with the delicious liquid - Niger - Aïr - 2003

The camp at the well of Tezirzek is reached - Niger - Aïr - 2003

The goats are supplied with water - Well of Tezirzek- Niger - Aïr - 1992

The well of Tchou-m-Adegdeg - Tebet region between Adrar Chiriet and Tamgak - Niger - Aïr - 1992

The Guelta Eloukouloukan has water all year round - Niger - Aïr - 2003

At Guelta Iffazane, the water gushing out of the ground flows over several steps into a small lake. Fresh greenery can be found here all year round - Niger - Aïr - 2003

At Guelta Iffazane, the water gushing out of the ground flows over several steps into a small lake. Fresh greenery can be found here all year round - A guerba is filled with water - Niger - Aïr - 2003

The Guelta Baloumat in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2001

The dum palm (Hyphaene thebaica) is a multi-stemmed palm species with oval, edible fruits. In ancient Egypt, this palm was used for its fruit, fibres and leaves, but the date palm was not native to Egypt and only produced dates when it could be pollinated. - Guelta Baloumat in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The Guelta Baloumat in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2001

The Oued Tamgak is reached. Dum palms line the guelta of Baloumat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The caravan has reached the Oued Tamgak. Dum palms line the Guelta of Baloumat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

‘Water is life’, the delicious liquid is bottled in the goatskin guerba - Guelta Baloumat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

A guerba was filled with water from the Guelta Baloumat - Niger - Aïr - 2003

The caravan on the way to the western exit of the gorge that crosses the Tamgak massif - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The caravan on its way to the western exit of the gorge that cuts across the Tamgak massif - Aïr - Niger - 2002

Traditional well at Zakkat - The water is lifted from the depths of the well in a sack with the help of a cow or a dromedary -- Niger - Aïr - 2003

At Guelta Iffazane, the water gushing out of the ground flows over several steps into a small lake. Fresh greenery can be found here all year round - Aïr - Niger - 2002

Where there is water, life germinates - The Iffazane waterhole offers a rare treasure: water that provides fresh greenery all year round. - Aïr - Niger - 2000

At Guelta Iffazane, the water gushing out of the ground flows over several steps into a small lake. The dromedaries take up a lot of water, they will certainly need it - Aïr - Niger - 2000

A waterhole in the northern part of the Tamgak Mountains - The water supply needs to be replenished - Aïr - Niger - 2001

A waterhole in the northern part of the Tamgak Mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2001

The guelta "An Rhone n'Ajad", where there is very good water - Tamgak - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The caravan is on its way to the Toufouchi camp. On the way, they stop at a guelta to replenish their water reserves - Niger - Aïr - 2001

The Enghar guelta - undoubtedly the coldest water in the whole of Aïr! The sun never reaches the depths of this rocky gorge on the track leading to Toufouchi. - Niger - Aïr - 2001

Ibrahim's daughters fetch the precious water from the waterhole - Toufouchi camp - Niger - Aïr - 2001

Ibrahim's daughter tastes the precious water from the waterhole - Toufouchi camp - Niger - Aïr - 2001

In the valley of the Gueltas in the northern part of the Tamgak Mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2002

In the valley of the gueltas (waterholes), in the northern part of the Tamgak massif, also known as Zakkat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

A dromedary drinking water in the valley of the gueltas (waterholes), in the northern part of the Tamgak massif, also called Zakkat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The caravan passes a waterhole. In the valley of the gueltas (waterholes) in the northern part of the Tamgak massif, also known as Zakkat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The goatskin guerbas are filled with water. In the valley of the gueltas (waterholes), in the northern part of the Tamgak massif, also known as Zakkat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

The Guelta Bilal in the valley of the Gueltas (water holes), in the northern part of the Tamgak massif, also called Zakkat - Aïr - Niger - 2002

In Tamascheq, the language of the Tuareg, they say Aman Eres. Aman means water and Eres means hole. - In the northern part of the Adrar Tamgak - Aïr - Niger - 2001

A guelta in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountain ranges - Aïr - Niger - 2000

Guelta in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountain ranges - Aïr - Niger - 2000

Guelta in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountain ranges - Dum palms (Hyphaene thebaica) in the background - Aïr - Niger - 2000

Guelta in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountain ranges - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The guerbas are filled with water at a guelta in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The Guelta Baloumat in the gorge between the two Tamgak mountains - Aïr - Niger - 2001

The Timia oasis lies on the eastern flank of the Adrar Egalah mountain (1874 m) at an altitude of almost 1000 m in the Kel-Ewey-Tuareg region and stretches along a dry riverbed that carries water in the summer months, provided it has rained in the upper reaches. The picture shows the Guelta Timia - Niger - Aïr - 1992

The Timia oasis lies on the eastern flank of the Adrar Egalah mountain (1874 m) at an altitude of almost 1000 m in the Kel-Ewey-Tuareg region and stretches along a dry riverbed that carries water in the summer months, provided it has rained in the upper reaches - Niger - Aïr - 1992

The main town of Iferouâne is the primary oasis in the north-western part of the Aïr Mountains. It is the main administrative centre of the "Aïr and Ténéré Nature Reserve", the largest protected area in Africa at 77,000 km². The settlement is located in the Irhazar Valley (also: Ighazar Valley) and is characterised by mud houses, mat tents and gardens. - Traditional well in the gardens of Iferouâne - Niger - Aïr - 1992

Traditional well in the gardens of Iferouâne - The water is drawn from the depths in a goatskin bag (doulon) - Niger - Aïr - 1992

The main town of Iferouâne is the primary oasis in the north-western part of the Aïr Mountains. It is the main administrative centre of the "Aïr and Ténéré Nature Reserve", the largest protected area in Africa at 77,000 km². The settlement is located in the Irhazar Valley (also: Ighazar Valley) and is characterised by mud houses, mat tents and gardens. - Traditional well in the gardens of Iferouâne - Niger - Aïr - 1992

Traditional well in the gardens of Iferouâne - The water is drawn from the depths in a goatskin bag (doulon) - Niger - Aïr - 1992

In Bir-Abbad, Upper Egypt, dromedaries are being watered at a watering hole. This watering hole is located on an old caravan route between the Red Sea and the Nile Valley. – 1984

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