7th century – 12th century
Central Sahara, present-day southeastern Algeria
Tassili-n-Ajjer was a central Saharan highland region whose name derived from the Adjdjer or Azger Berbers. Medieval accounts describe these people as camel-drivers with a political centre somewhere near modern Ghāt or Djanet. The region formed part of an ancient corridor connecting Fezzān with Gao through Ajjer, Ahaggar, and Adrār des Ifoghas.
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The Story
Tassili-n-Ajjer extended northeast from Ahaggar and formed part of the central Saharan highland chain. Its name was derived from the Adjdjer, or Azger, Berbers who inhabited the region. The excerpt places their political centre near present-day Ghāt or Djanet, although the precise location remains unknown.
Al-Idrīsī described the Adjdjer as camel-drivers and measured their political centre by walking distances from Ghadāmes and Tassāwa in Fezzān. These distances indicate the region’s integration into long-distance desert mobility. The camel-driving population occupied a position between the northern Libyan oases and the routes running southward toward the Niger region.
The passage connects the Ajjer corridor with the ancient route of the “Garamantean chariots,” which linked Fezzān to Gao through Ajjer, Ahaggar, and Adrār des Ifoghas. Discoveries at Abalessa and ancient coins found nearby are presented as evidence for the existence of this earlier route. In the medieval period, the Azkār–Ghadāmes road was probably the northern section of the Tādmekka–Ghadāmes route.
7th century – 12th century
Central Sahara, present-day southeastern Algeria
Tassili-n-Ajjer was a central Saharan highland region whose name derived from the Adjdjer or Azger Berbers. Medieval accounts describe these people as camel-drivers with a political centre somewhere near modern Ghāt or Djanet. The region formed part of an ancient corridor connecting Fezzān with Gao through Ajjer, Ahaggar, and Adrār des Ifoghas.
Continue exploring
The Story
Tassili-n-Ajjer extended northeast from Ahaggar and formed part of the central Saharan highland chain. Its name was derived from the Adjdjer, or Azger, Berbers who inhabited the region. The excerpt places their political centre near present-day Ghāt or Djanet, although the precise location remains unknown.
Al-Idrīsī described the Adjdjer as camel-drivers and measured their political centre by walking distances from Ghadāmes and Tassāwa in Fezzān. These distances indicate the region’s integration into long-distance desert mobility. The camel-driving population occupied a position between the northern Libyan oases and the routes running southward toward the Niger region.
The passage connects the Ajjer corridor with the ancient route of the “Garamantean chariots,” which linked Fezzān to Gao through Ajjer, Ahaggar, and Adrār des Ifoghas. Discoveries at Abalessa and ancient coins found nearby are presented as evidence for the existence of this earlier route. In the medieval period, the Azkār–Ghadāmes road was probably the northern section of the Tādmekka–Ghadāmes route.
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