Regions
Djanet and the surrounding area
The name of the large oasis Djanet, located in the heart of the national park, means paradise. Its palm groves stretch for over 30 kilometers in the Edjerou Valley. Gardens with a variety of fruit trees and vegetables lie in the shade of the palms. Several villages nestle picturesquely against the mountain slopes. The oasis has a total population of over 18,000. Worth seeing are the town center with its small Sahara Museum, the old mud-brick fortress of El Mihan (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the covered market, the oasis gardens, and the last remaining flowing spring of Jahil. The surrounding landscape is very attractive and diverse, dominated by the striking Mount Tim Beur and the blue mountain range of the Tassili Plateau. In the distance opposite lies the Erg Admer dune system. On the eastern slopes, circular prehistoric tombs and the ruins of a castle can be discovered. Towards the airport, near In Debiren and Terarart, there are significant engravings carved in stone from the cattle period.
The dunes of Erg Admer and the area of Adrar Adjeloho with the valley of Essendilen
The broad belt of light ochre dunes, reaching up to 120 meters in height and featuring diverse shapes, borders a wide, dried-up lakebed. Fragments of pottery and stone tools tell of former inhabitants. The Adjeloho mountain range, not very high, is crisscrossed by sandy, acacia-covered valleys. You will cross small rocky ridges, discover hidden pools of water, marvel at bizarre rock formations and golden dunes, and likely encounter nomads and their herds. In the distance, you will see the long, sweeping dunes of the Erg Admer.
Tadrart and the Tin Merzouga Desert
The journey to this area leads westward through a wide valley along the Tassili N'Ajjer mountain range, through the Tassili Imaharhaten and the area of Amenenat, a former lakebed with colorful marl deposits. At the entrance to the long, winding valley of In Djaren, there are black and yellow dunes. Numerous engravings and paintings can be found in the rock overhangs. At the end of the valley begins the vast area of high, ochre to orange dunes of Moul Naga. There, the Ténéré Desert begins. A labyrinth of picturesque valleys leads to the orange, very high dunes of Tin Merzouga with its rock monuments almost buried in the sand. Throughout the area, there are many impressive rock sculptures, monumental engravings of savannah animals and cattle, and significant paintings.
The Adrar Mountains, the valleys of Ifedaniouen, Tamedjert and the Erg Tihodaouin
In the west, between the Adjeloho Mountains and the Erg Admer, lies the town of Zaouatallaz. Northeast of it, on the mostly green Dider plateau, is the massive rock slab of Tin Tarert, adorned with particularly beautiful, carved animal figures. Nestled in a deep gorge is the small oasis of Iherir, beside a perpetually flowing stream. After passing through an area of bizarre, dark rock formations, one reaches the sandy pools of the Oued Tasset. There, two shelters, Ikadnoucher and Teder, feature interesting paintings. A rugged, mountainous region with small passes and gorges leads to the settlement of Aharhar and into the wide, sandy valley of Afara, bordered on one side by spectacular, mushroom-shaped mountains. Near the settlement of Afara are small dunes covered with tamarisk trees. To the right, the dark, rocky plateau of Ifedaniouen comes into view. There, in a wide sandy valley, lies the oasis of Tamedjert, featuring a rock overhang with exceptionally well-preserved, enigmatic paintings, including some depicting horse-drawn carts. Heading north across the vast plain of Afara, one reaches the bright dunes of the Erg Tihodaouin.
Plateau of Tassili N`Ajjer
On a high plateau, nestled in the rock shelters of the many winding valleys, a diverse array of rock paintings can be discovered, depicting the domestication of cattle, hunting, dances, rituals, and everyday camp life. A vast open-air museum! Within a radius of approximately ten kilometers as the crow flies, there are more than twelve famous archaeological sites. Ancient cypress trees survive there as the last remnants of long-vanished forests.
The rock paintings of Jabbars
This location on the Tassili N'Ajjer plateau contains an exceptionally large number of closely situated sites with significant rock paintings from different eras.
